When Fangs and Wings Collide
by aberk19
Summary: What happens when Max and the gang move to Forks? They meet up with some unexpected people-- or rather, vampires. What does it take for Fang to finally snap? Max... and that's about it. Her world is falling down around her, and there's nothing she can do.
1. Forks? Really?

Oh my god, why is this place so _green_? Seriously, it's like the greenest, wettest place I have ever seen. Not to mention it's _cold_. _This_ is where we're going to _live_?

"Angel," I said softly, not wanting to wake the others. She opened an eye and peered at me from under her long blonde lashes. "What'd you say the name of this town was?"

"Forks," she mumbled sleepily. It had been raining nonstop since we'd gotten here, and it made us all a bit drowsy.

"Great," I muttered darkly. "We live in a place named after a _kitchen utensil_."

I didn't get a chance to mope anymore because the van lurched to a stop just then. I glanced in the driver's seat at Fang, who had fallen asleep as soon as he turned the van off. Exiting the van, I did so quietly, not wanting the flock to wake before I could survey the land.

I looked over our new house carefully, and surprisingly, found that I liked it. It had stopped raining, so I pulled my black hoodie over my head. My muscles ached from sitting in the van for so long, and this was my first chance to really stretch.

I opened my arms wide, rotating my shoulders in a circular motion. I touched my toes and bounced from one foot to the other, suddenly craving the feel of my legs working and my arms pumping when I ran. I glanced back once more at the van and, seeing that everyone was still asleep, dashed for the nearby trees.

Ignoring the path completely, I wound my way through the cold, damp forest. It felt so good to finally _run_ again. Yeah, I absolutely _love_ flying, but running just has this special… feeling to it.

I admit, I should have been paying much more attention when I ran out of the trees and across the road, but I had some things on my mind. But _still_… how did I not see the car before it saw me?

"Holy sh—" I swore as my hands shot out to protect my body from the oncoming car. I noticed it was a Rabbit when it jerked to a stop. I know, I know, but I kind of have a _thing_ for cars. My hands smacked down on the hood in an attempt to steady myself.

"Oh jeez, are you ok?" a husky voice said from inside the car. A door opened and a guy around twenty or so jumped out, rushing to my side.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, taking my hands off the hood.

"I'm really sorry," he said, taking a step towards me. "I didn't even _see_ you."

I smiled sheepishly. "Yeah… that's my fault. I didn't even look before I came out of the trees. I just kinda kept running."

"Why were you running in the woods?"

"Why not?" I asked, becoming wary for some unknown reason. "Is there a law against running in the forest?" He looked surprised for a second.

"No, but people usually run on the road," he said, laughing. "Or at least on the path."

"Well, I'm not 'people'."

"I guess not. I'm Jacob Black," he said, sticking out one of his large, brown hands.

"Max Ride," I replied slowly, taking his hand. It was calloused and _very_ hot. Pulling back slowly, not sure what was up with him, I turned and headed back across the street, aiming for the trees.

"Hey!" I turned. "You live around here?" I hesitated shortly before nodding. Not wanting to answer any more questions, I left then, sprinting through the trees.

_He seems… nice, _I thought as I ran. _Not that _that_ has ever stopped anyone from trying to kill me. Still, it _would_ be nice to know someone around here. I _hate_ being the new kid at school. Not that we've ever had a choice…_ Being the new kid is just like being the shiny new toy that everyone wants to touch and play with. There's no privacy whatsoever.

While I thought this over a bit more, I emerged from the trees exactly where I'd entered them. It's times like these that I live my navigating skills.

"Max, you wanna help us out?" Fang said from the van.

They were unloading; something I really did _not_ feel like doing. Groaning, I walked to Fang's side and grabbed a few bags. I grudgingly followed him into the house, my arms full of everyone's crap.

I swear, hours went by, but we still got practically nothing done. Angel, Nudge, and Gazzy were too distracted by the sounds of the nearby ocean to be much help. Iggy went with them down to First Beach, happy for something to do. He had previously been sitting silently by the van.

"Hey neighbors," a man said in a deep, rumbling voice. Fang and I looked over and saw Jacob Black coming towards us, pushing a man in a wheelchair slowly in front of him.

Jacob looked somewhat surprised when he saw me. But his expression changed and he smiled broadly before coming to a stop in front of us. I kept my facial expressions in check, but I still caught Fang looking quizzically between Jacob and me.

"Hey," Fang said.

"Billy Black and this is my son Jacob," the man in the wheelchair said gruffly. He looked a lot like Jacob, but older, and somehow wiser looking. While Jacob had a smooth face, Billy had wrinkles that just made him look strong, with a little bit of a regal touch.

"I'm Max, and—" I started, but Fang elbowed me slyly and gave me a look. I turned to Billy and Jacob, holding up a finger before letting Fang led me a few feet away.

"What are you doing?" he hissed.

"What?"

"You told them your name why?"

"Why the hell not? We're gunna be living here, so what's the big issue? If anyone wanted to find us, they would have by now, or they would have at least been waiting at the house when we arrived. Fang, we've known that we were moving here for two weeks," I pointed out.

"Yeah and what if _they_ are _them_?" he whispered furiously.

I frowned. "I seriously doubt it Fang."

"Oh? And why is that?" When I didn't answer Fang frowned. "And why did _Jacob_ smile when he saw you? Care to explain _that_?"

"Simple stupid," I hissed. "When I was running, he almost hit me with his car, so we talked."

"Max…" He broke off what he was about to say and looked to the sky, his face grim. "You've gone soft."

I gaped as he turned his back to me and walked swiftly away. I had the urge to run after him and start an outright fight, but it might freak the neighbors if there was suddenly two flying kids in a fist fight.

I rubbed my temples and walked back to where Billy and Jacob were waiting silently by the van. I was grateful and slightly amused when Billy didn't look in the least interested in what had just happened. Now _here_ was a man that knew how to mind his own damn business. I like him already.

"Sorry, he's just…" I couldn't find the right words, but thankfully, Billy shook his head and smiled.

"Don't worry about it. I know how they are," he said, looking up at Jacob and chuckling. He looked back to me and stared at my face for a few seconds, but under his scrutiny, it seemed much longer.

"So are you going to school here or in town?" Jacob asked.

"In town. Where did you go?" They both smiled, though I had no idea what was funny about that.

"I go to school here," Jacob said, still smiling. I cocked an eyebrow.

"How old are you?" I asked cautiously.

"I'm sixteen," he said, hanging his head a little.

"Yeah right," I said skeptically.

"No, really, I'm sixteen."

"And on steroids, right?"

"Nope. No drugs here," he said, thumping his chest with a fist. Billy shook his head, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

"Uh-huh." I was still a little skeptical, but whatever. "Well, then I guess I won't be seeing you at school."

"No, I guess not."

"How old are you?" Billy asked me.

"Eighteen," I said, rounding a little. Since I didn't know when my birthday actually was, I decided I was close to eighteen, if not there already.

"Well Max, I just wanted to drop by and give you this as a little welcoming gift and say 'hello'," Billy said, handing me a large brown paper bag. "It's fish fry. My friend Harry Clearwater made the best fish fry around, but Sue made this. His wife and kids lives just around the corner there, but they're a little busy this week, so I had Jacob here just grab you a bag for them."

I smiled and took the bag from Billy. "Thanks, that was very nice of you. I appreciate you coming by, really." I turned and headed for the house. "Bye."

"Bye Max, we'll see you around," Billy said. Jacob added his goodbye and they left, going into a house down the road.

When I entered the house, Fang was there, ready to ambush me. He grabbed me around the waist and flipped me over his broad shoulder before I could react. I hit him in the back, yelling at him to put me down before I really started wailing on him.

"Max, will you just _shut up_?" he snapped, dumping me on the bed.

I stopped squirming and looked up at him. I studied his face, searching for anything out of the ordinary. I sighed when I didn't find anything, closed my eyes, and lay back on the bed. Fang still held onto my waist, so when I lay back, he fell smoothly onto the bed beside me.

I didn't look at him, not sure I wanted to see his face anymore. When I didn't try to make conversation, Fang got up. I opened my eyes to see him standing tall over me. He was frowning down at me, his face tight.

"What were you thinking Max?" he said. "What stupid thought made you think it was ok to tell them your real name? Not to mention whatever else you decided to tell them after I left."

I propped myself up on my elbows, but kept my face turned away from him. I didn't approve of his attitude, and he needed to know that. When I didn't answer him, Fang growled menacingly and leaned over me. He held himself up over me, his hands on the bed beside my arms, his face right in front of mine.

"We're not in hiding anymore Fang," I said slowly. "I want us to be able to live like normal people."

"Too bad we aren't normal people Max," he growled.

"Maybe we could be if you just gave it a chance," I implored quietly.

"We can't take chances Max!" he roared. I hated fighting with Fang, but he made it so easy sometimes to be angry with him. "You should know that by now Max. We can't afford to take any chances anymore!"

"Why the hell not? No one has come after us in years Fang! Years!"

"Like that makes a difference! Last time we thought we were safe, they found us anyways! Do you remember that? And what happened because of our carelessness? Angel got kidnapped, we lost our home, you got shot, and we all ended up in cages yet again."

"That was one time!" I screamed in his face. "We made it through all of that Fang! We're still here, aren't we?"

Fang stood and sneered down at me. He shook his head and walked to the door. "Yeah, but that won't last long with the new you as leader, will it?"

"F you," I whispered, my eyes watering. Fang had never questioned whether I should be leader or not before. He may not have always agreed with my decisions, but he'd never said that I shouldn't be leader before.

I rose from the bed, suddenly more tired than I'd been this morning. I left the house as quickly as I could. I didn't want Fang to see me. Only he could make me cry. Yet, he had never purposely made me cry…

I went down to the beach, taking the road instead of going through the woods again. No point in giving any neighbors any reason to question how well I knew this place by showing up at the beach from the woods, without a path too.


	2. Why do the Wolves Follow Me?

I reached the beach, and luckily, didn't run into anyone else. I decided that a walk down the beach would be a nice way to get stupid Fang out of my head.

A noise in the trees beside me gave me a heads up that someone else was there. It was a miniscule noise too, not something a human could have heard. But, it hadn't sounded like the normal sounds a forest makes. It was human… or an animal.

"I can hear you," I said wearily. No one appeared from behind the tall, imposing trees. I closed my eyes and sighed, way too tired to be dealing with all this crap.

Without really thinking about it, I walked towards the noise. I climbed over a fallen tree and made my way through the bushes and around the trees before I came upon a small clearing. I strode to the center of the clearing and looked around, my hands on my hips.

"Whatever, hide for all I care," I said, frustrated with myself for caring about a noise in the forest.

Turning back in the direction of the beach, I saw something I shouldn't have. Without my raptor vision, I would have missed it completely. But, I did see them.

A pair of huge yellow eyes stared at me from behind a bush. They were far enough away that they shouldn't have posed an immediate threat, but, being me, I became instantly cautious anyways.

"What the hell is that?" I muttered to myself. I didn't really expect an answer, so when the animal growled, I shifted unknowingly into a fighting stance.

I didn't hear the animal again, but the eyes remained. Deciding that I could make my way around the bush, I chose a different path to the beach. Keeping my eyes and ears open, I walked alertly back to First Beach. The instant I emerged from the trees, I became relaxed, the feel of the threat gone.

Without glancing back, I walked over to the huge log where Nudge, Angel, Iggy, and Gazzy were playing in the sand. The sand castles were built, and now Nudge was going around decorating them with sea shells and sea weed.

"Hey Max, which one do you like best?" Angel asked, shading her eyes as she looked up at me.

"Please, like you don't already know," Iggy muttered. Angel shrugged and continued to look at me.

"Uhm, I like… that one," I said, pointing to the castle by Iggy. He grinned, somehow knowing that I would choose his. Actually, he probably did know, since his was the only castle that didn't look like it was made it three seconds by a bunch of two year olds.

"Pshh, whatever Max," Nudge said, hiding her smile. "Like _you_ know the masterpiece that is my sandcastle."

"Yeah Nudge, 'cuz I'm just a sandcastle expert these days." My smile slowly disappeared as I recalled Fang's words to me earlier. "Apparently I can't even do _that_ right nowadays," I muttered darkly.

"What was that Max?" Iggy said, turning to me.

"Nothing Ig. Nothing at all."

He looked skeptical but when I didn't add anything, he just frowned and returned to helping Nudge collect small sticks. They proceeded to shove the small sticks into the sand in a large ring outside the castle. I watched silently as they made a moat and a fence around each sandcastle, with a bridge connecting the castle to the sand outside the ring of sticks.

"So what were you guys doing back at the house?" Nudge said. Angel had been unusually quiet, and I looked curiously at her.

Her face was blank, expressionless, as she carefully placed shells and sea weed along the rim of her sand castle. She didn't look up at me, even though I was thinking hard at her.

"Max?" I looked up at Nudge and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry. Uhm, we just moved some boxes and stuff into the house and finished unloading the van."

"Oh, ok. I think I want to go home now Ig," Nudge said. Gazzy nodded in agreement and stood up, brushing the sand off his jeans.

"Alright, you guys go back home, but I'm gunna check out this beach a bit more, ok?"

"Sure Max. We'll start dinner for you," Iggy said as he helped Nudge and Angel up off the ground.

"Oh, before I forget," I said as they started down the beach. "Someone brought us some fish fry, so if you could get that ready Ig, that would be great."

"Someone?" Nudge said warily, turning to look back at me.

"Oh, just one of the neighbors. I met him and his son… they seem nice enough."

"Whatever Max… See ya back home." They headed back, not bothering to check their surroundings like they used to.

I sighed, out of regret, and probably exhaustion. We hadn't had to check out a place in a while. This was actually the first time we'd been on our own in a few years. After living so long with Dr. Martinez and Ella, this was going to be a little tricky. Especially with Fang's attitude problem…

I stopped as I neared the forest. The reminder of those eyes made me a little cautious of going into those woods. Looking around, I didn't see any mysterious eyes staring out at me from behind a tree or something, so I walked slowly into the forest.

Watching my step, I made my way back to the clearing I had been in earlier. It seemed like yesterday, but I knew it had been just hours since I had seen those eyes. Reaching the clearing, I did a quick 360. There was no telling what was in these woods, now that I knew something was out there, watching me…

I stopped circling as something far off caught my eye. Looking harder, I saw a wolf, as big as a freakin' horse, running swiftly through the trees. The russet brown color of its' fur made me think immediately of Jacob and Billy Black. It reminded me somewhat of the beautiful color of their skin.

The wolf changed course suddenly, turning so that it was facing me as it ran. I didn't move, not sure of what the hell I was going to do if I came at me. Thank god, the wolf stopped before it came into the clearing where I was 'hiding'. It raised its enormous head to the sky and I could see its' nose wiggling as it sniffed the air. I think it finally realized I was there, because its' head snapped down and its' large black eyes bore into mine. Once again, the wolf raised its' large head upward, releasing a lone howl.

I didn't wait for the wolf to stop the noise before turning and bolting out of the woods. I could hear paws padding along on the ground behind me, and it scared me. I could outrun any man, but a dog, no way. Plus, this was _definitely not_ a normal dog, or wolf. This thing was gigantic.

The noises behind me stopped when I finally cleared the trees and headed across the road to my house. I kept running until I had reached the door, not wanting to take too many chances. Looking back as I opened the door, I saw the wolf standing a few feet from the edge of the forest, watching me.

"Max, can you get in here and shut the door? I'm _freezing_!" Nudge complained, breaking my eye contact with the wolf.

"Yeah, but no wonder you're cold, Nudge, you're wearing a tank top!" I said. Glancing quickly over my shoulder, I saw that the wolf had disappeared.

Upon entering my little house, I found that everyone had chosen a room, leaving me to decide who I was going to bunk with. Too bad there were only three beds, and six of us. I soon discovered that Nudge and Angel were together, and Gazzy and Iggy were going to share a room. This left me with Fang. Great.

"Iggy, is dinner ready?" I asked after nudge informed me of their rooming situation. Iggy looked up at the sound of my voice and nodded.

"Yeah, but there isn't much of this stuff. Obviously, this guy hasn't seen how we eat."

"Well duh Ig, we just moved here. Besides, we don't _want_ anyone to see how we eat."

"True." We all took a seat at the table and I divided the fish fry into six portions. Sliding a piece onto everyone's plate, I could tell that Iggy would need to make something else to go with it.

"Hey Ig, do you want to make a salad or something? I don't think this will—." I stopped as Iggy brought in a huge bowl of salad and another full of potatoes from the kitchen.

"I got it Max," he said, grinning. I grinned back. I shouldn't have even been surprised that he was prepared. Hadn't I been teaching them that for years? Always be prepared?

"Ok then, dig in everybody." Just like always, our eating habits reminded me of a pack of wolves… which led me to thinking about that wolf I had seen earlier.

"Was it really that big Max?" Angel asked quietly. We all looked up at her. I nodded slowly.

"Was what really how big?" Gazzy asked, his mouth full of salad.

"On my way back from the beach, I saw this wolf," I said quietly. "It was seriously as big as a horse. This thing was _huge_."

"Did it see you?" Nudge asked, her eyes worried as they looked at me from across the table.

"Yeah, and it followed me here."

"What!" This was the first I had heard from Fang since I'd gotten home. "You _led_ it here?"

"What was I supposed to do?" I asked desperately, looking directly across the table at him.

"Oh, I don't know, _fly_?" he snapped. The rest of the flock was silent as they watched us.

"Yeah Fang, and how the hell would I explain that to the neighbors, hmm? 'Oh, by the way, we're all mutant bird kids who fly!' Yeah, that'll go over _real_ well."

"Anything would have been better than leading a giant wolf to our doorstep Max, you should have known that." With that, Fang rose from the table and stalked out of the room.

I didn't look at them, but I could tell they were all looking to me for a reaction. Well, they would get one. My fist slammed down on the table, shaking the plates and bowls. Angel and Gazzy jumped in their seats, and I could see the fear in all of their eyes as they stared at me.

"Get ready for bed," I said quietly, standing up. "Now!" They all jumped out of their seats as I roared at them, grabbing dishes and silverware as they rushed into the kitchen. I heard the water running in the sink as I headed for the bedroom that was currently mine.


	3. Eww It's the First Day of SchoolAgain

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story, Stephanie Meyer and James Patterson do. Enjoy anyways.**

I opened the door and was momentarily surprised to see Fang gazing out the window. Then I remembered that this was his room too. Damn. Turning, I made the decision to sleep on the floor in Nudge and Angels' room.

"Max, wait." I stopped, but didn't turn around to look at him.

Fang came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder. I froze, not sure what to do or say.

"Max, I'm sorry. I… I'm just worried is all. This is a new place, and we haven't had to live on our own in a long time. I was just afraid that if we made one wrong move, this could all disappear."

"You could have said…" I whispered, turning my face away from him. "I… I thought…"

"I know, I know, and I'm so sorry. I was just too afraid of what might… what could happen to all of us, that I forgot why we're all here." I turned to look at him, slightly confused. "Because of _you_ Max. The reason we're all alive is because of _you_."

"Ok, but why is this time any different from all the other times we've had to move?" I asked, tears suddenly springing to my eyes. "What made you so angry with me this time?"

"Max, I could never be angry with you," he said softly. I snorted disbelievingly.

"Yeah, well that's not what it looked like to me."

"And for that I am extremely sorry. I just couldn't handle all of this change. I mean, come on, we haven't been to a new school in a while." He smiled wryly. "I've kinda forgotten how to be the new kid."

I smiled back and patted his cheek gently with my hand. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to help you with that."

"Why thank you, that's very considerate."

"No problem, but I think we should get to sleep now. We _do_ have school tomorrow."

"Yes Max," he said obediently, climbing into bed.

"Uhm, you're sleeping on the floor," I said sternly, pointing to the sleeping bag rolled up in the corner. Fang looked at me disbelievingly.

"You can't be serious," he said. I smiled and nodded.

"Oh, I'm dead serious. Don't think you're that easily forgiven. I _am_ the ruthless leader, after all…"

"Fine," he grumbled, sliding off the bed. "But I hope you get no sleep."

"Oh, I think I will be perfectly fine," I said cheerfully as he unrolled the sleeping bag and crawled into it.

The next morning, Fang was in even more of a bad mood than he'd been yesterday. It sucked pretty bad. I guess I deserved it, seeing as I forced him to sleep on the floor instead of in the bed with me, but hey, at least I had fun doing it.

"I'm driving us there," I insisted for the last time.

Everyone else was already piled into the van and ready to go, but Fang was determined to drive us to school. _I_ on the other hand, wanted us to get there in relatively one piece, and on time, so therefore, I wanted to drive.

"Fine Max," he said at last, giving in. "You can have it your way, _again_."

"Oh, will you just shut up and get in the van already?" Iggy said from the backseat. I checked the clock on the dashboard, and sure enough, we were gunna be late if we didn't hurry up.

By the time we dropped off Gazzy and Angel, reached the high school, found a parking space, and got to the main building, we had just enough time to grab our schedules and maps, and get to class. The secretary was waiting for us, thank God, so she had everything ready to go. With a reminder to bring the slips back at the end of the day with all the teacher signatures, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, and I were sent off to our first day of a new high school in practically five years.

The day didn't start out great, but it got worse when we realized that I had almost no classes with any of them. I had one class with Iggy, and one with Fang. None with Nudge, since she was lower classmen, but still… it would have been nice to have her there with me.

Entering my first class was rough. I walked into the room and immediately, all eyes were on me. Scanning the room quickly, my eyes were clapped on a beautiful boy with bronze colored hair when the teacher called me over to his desk. Taking my eyes away from the boy, I gave the teacher my slip and walked to the only empty seat.

My seat was, of course, at a table with a window view, but I wasn't beside the window. The teacher had us seated alphabetically, and I soon found that my table partner was named Isabella Swan, Bella for short. Her father was the chief of police here in Forks, so naturally, everyone knew her. Not that they wouldn't anyways, seeing as this town was ridiculously small. When I asked about the bronze boy, she smiled and looked down at her hands, folded on the table top.

"He's my boyfriend, Edward Cullen." I gaped. She looked down again and her cheeks became red as the blush crept into her face.

"He looks so… perfect," I said quietly, glancing over at him. I was startled to meet his gaze, and even more so when I noticed that his eyes, amber in color, were angry and confused, and maybe a little hurt? as they looked into mine.

"Well… he is to me," Bella finally said. She smiled at me and told me that I had just officially taken her place as the new kid.

"Well, then I guess it's good I showed up, huh?" She smiled and looked up from the worksheet that had been handed out.

"Yeah, I suppose so." She noticed that the only thing I had down on paper so far was my name. "Do you want me to help you with that?"

I blushed and nodded, a little embarrassed. Her smile widened as she told me all about the cell structure in animals, and how they differed from those of humans. When we came upon a diagram of a birds' cell structure versus that of a human cell structure, I smiled and imagined what _my_ cells looked like.

"Where did you move from?" Bella asked when we finished our worksheets.

"Uhmm, Arizona," I said, not wanting to specify. Mainly, because I had forgotten the name of the town we had lived in for the past five years. Oops.

"Really?" She sounded a little excited, and somewhat surprised. "I moved here from Arizona last year. Wow, that's a strange coincidence, isn't it?" I nodded.

"Yeah, that is strange." Very strange, actually. What are the chances…?

When the bell rang, I observed Edward Cullen at the edge of my vision and was stunned by how fluidly and gracefully he moved. He looked absolutely incredible as he made his way out of the classroom and into the hall before anyone else had even made it out of their aisles.

"What the…?" I muttered, not really thinking that Bella would hear me.

She turned her face abruptly to me, her expression guarded and cautious. I looked at her, confused, and raised an eyebrow. Her eyes watched me carefully for a few seconds before she rose from her seat and scooted past me. Her steps were careful as she too walked out of the classroom. For some reason, I got the impression that she was a usually clumsy person.

Sighing, I walked up to the teachers' desk and had him sign my paper thingy that the secretary had given me this morning. It was only then that I noticed what his name was. I hadn't even known before just now. Weird, I wasn't usually so… unperceptive.

"Max, hurry up," Fang called, making me jump slightly. He was waiting patiently by the door, watching me. I noticed that more than one girl slowed to look at him as they passed by.

"You could make yourself a _little_ less noticeable," I said under my breath when I reached his side. He cocked an eyebrow at me as we walked to our next class.

"What do you mean?" He was genuinely confused. Men… they don't understand how impressionable they are to us females.

"I mean," I said, rolling my eyes. "That you might want to try being a little less loud and open for a while. Every girl that walked by you slowed and ogled."

He smirked and looked down at me. "What, you _jealous_ Max?"

"No, I'm just saying," I replied defensively. He continued smirking as we entered the gym. Fang shook his head and stopped beside our classmates while we waited for our uniforms and locker numbers to be handed out.

"Alright, line up!" the gym teacher called. I failed to hear his name as well, but that didn't really matter. What _did_ matter was that I noticed Edward Cullen and Bella Swan standing together not far from where Fang and I were.

Edward had his hand protectively on Bella's back, his own body stalk still. Bella, on the other hand, was shaking a little, her face paler than it had been just a few minutes earlier in biology. She glanced furtively around and, catching me looking at her, smiled weakly. Obviously, she dreaded this class.

When we were all in a somewhat presentable line, the teacher walked slowly down the line, handing out pieces of paper randomly picked from a hat. He then told them what size outfit he deduced would fit them, a number from one to eighteen.

When he reached Fang and I, he stopped, surprised. I had found from Bella that there weren't new students often, so when there were, they were the talk of the school for a little while. I guess this teacher hadn't gotten the memo that he would have four new students at some point in the year.

Giving me a quick, professional once-over, he told me seven, then handed me one of the slips of paper. I looked at it and realized that it was locker numbers and combinations. The papers were color coded, pink for girls, blue for boys. If he picked out a pink one while standing in front of a boy, he would just hand it to the nearest girl and pick again. To Fang he said thirteen and then moved on.

Raising his brows to me, Fang followed the rest of the guys to the changing room. So far, no one had tried to really talk to us today, but I had an inept feeling that that wouldn't last.

Upon entering the girls changing room, I found that I had to smile. It was spread out and small, nothing like the changing room at my old school. Yet, the comforting smell of the room was just as I remembered it.

Looking down at the slip of paper in my hand again, I searched for my locker, eventually finding it near the door. Consequently, Bella's locker was next to mine. We talked quietly as we changed into the uniforms handed to us according to the number he had given. She told me about her ability to trip on flat surfaces, and how she was a danger to her classmates when playing a sport. She blushed and apologized beforehand if she ever caused me harm in this class.

Laughing, I told her that it was perfectly fine to be a klutz. Some people were given the ultimate balance, and some, like Bella, were not. I just happened to be a pretty balanced person myself, so I had no worries. My only issue was changing in front of everyone. Obviously, I couldn't let them see my wings, but I couldn't very well go hide while I changed. I do have pride, after all.

It ended up not being a problem. Bella turned her back to me while she changed, leaving me free to whip my shirt off and quickly pull the uniform on. She kept her eyes averted when she was done, clearly not as comfortable with public changing as I am. Well, that's what happens when you live with three guys your entire life.

We finished changing and went out into the gym, waiting for everyone else to join us. It wasn't long before the rest of our class came out in their uniforms as well. I knew I was the only one who didn't feel really comfortable in these uniforms; and it wasn't just because I've never worn them before. My wings were tucked tight against my back, making it harder for me to bend than usual. Being in tight t-shirts suck.

We didn't actually do anything in gym, but the teacher/coach person told us that we would be starting volleyball tomorrow. Oh, fun. I can't wait to be stuck on a team with other people who don't know me, or what I can do. Sucks for the other team, I must say.

When the bell finally rung, Bella and I went back into the locker room and changed into our clothes. I asked her why we had had to change in the first place, and she said it was so we could switch uniforms if necessary and not interrupt a game. I nodded, not understanding, but not caring enough to really question it.

As soon as we were out the door, Edward was there. He stared down at me, his amber eyes boring into mine. It seemed like he was pissed or something, but he was practically trying to look into my mind, the way he was gazing. I didn't break eye contact until Fang came up behind me and put his hand on my waist. I reluctantly looked back at him, and when I turned to face Edward and Bella again, they had left.

"What was _his_ problem," Fang muttered, clearly not comfortable with Edwards' staring. I shrugged.

"I dunno. Maybe he was just checking out the new girl." Fang glared at me. "What? I didn't mean like that. I meant like since I'm with his girlfriend in two classes already, he might as well take a peek at the new kid."

"Yeah, ok," Fang said, the skepticism obvious in his voice.

"Fang, just chill, will you?" I breathed as we parted. He heard me and raised a brow, his dark eyes looking down at me as he smiled slightly.

"Anything for you Max." What the…?


	4. Edward Cullen is Sorta a Sketchball:

I still have no idea what my teachers' name was. Yet again, I wasn't paying enough attention, and I didn't feel like looking stupid enough to ask. To top if off, I couldn't read his signature. Not like it mattered, I would learn his name soon enough.

Surprisingly, Bella wasn't in my class, but Edward Cullen was. Just my luck, the only empty seat was beside him. Sighing, I walked slowly down the aisle to my chair, focusing on keeping my eyes off of him as I sat. I could sense him looking at me, but I wasn't in the mood for another staring contest, so I kept my eyes firmly on the board at the front of the room.

"Hello." I turned, surprised when his voice was oddly seductive in that one word.

"Uhmm, hi." He was staring at me again, and it was _really_ weird.

"My name is Edward Cullen," he said, his voice making my stomach move slightly.

"Max Ride," I replied. I saw the side of his lips twitch, as if I had said something funny. I hate when people make fun of my name. "Is something funny?" I asked, my eyes narrowing. His eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened in surprise.

"No, I just haven't heard a name like that before," he said smoothly, his face calm once more.

"Yeah, probably not," I said, my voice getting a tiny edge to it. I was daring him to say something, even though I knew that if he did, I would want to hit him. Yes, I know, I'm too violent; but hey, no one makes fun of me and gets off clean.

"Is something the matter?" he asked, slightly confused.

"I don't like when people joke about my name," I said harshly. I knew I was being unfair, but whatever. He'd been staring like a creep, so I can say what I want.

"I'm very sorry if I upset or offended you in any way," Edward replied in his silky voice. "My sincere apologies." I nodded, accepting.

"So what brings you to Forks?" he asked suddenly about halfway through the class. I glanced over at him, not sure how much I should reveal.

"Family issues," I said, giving him the publicly edited version. He nodded, as if he understood exactly what I was talking about.

"Divorce?" he guessed. I was surprised that he'd jumped to that conclusion with no evidence pointing there whatsoever.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "Adoption."

For some strange reason, Edward smiled. I didn't understand why until he revealed that he was adopted as well. Apparently, he lived just outside of town with Dr. Cullen and his wife, Esme. His older 'brothers' Jasper and Emmet were away at college with Rosalie. He and Alice were finishing up high school.

"Is your entire family as muscular as you?" I asked. I really hoped he didn't think I was trying to make a pass at him; I really was curious. Luckily, he smiled.

"Yeah, but I'm not nearly as big as Emmet. You should see him. Even Bella still finds him intimidating." I raised an eyebrow. That's right, Bella had probably spent some time with his family.

"Really? He's _that_ big?" Edward nodded, a cocky smile on his lips. "Do you think _I_ would be intimidated?"

"Yes," he said simply. I nodded, mulling that over. From that one word, Edward made it clear that he didn't see me as an equal in strength (obviously), or fear control (he has no idea).

"Hmm, that's interesting. I think I should like to meet this Emmet person, and decide for myself just how intimidating he really is." Edward looked surprised again, though I couldn't imagine why. He had practically invited me to ask that question.

"Well, he, Jasper, and Rosalie get back from college in a few days," he said, giving me an odd look. "Maybe I could arrange for you two to meet."

I smiled. "That would be great." The bell rang for lunch then, causing me to jump slightly. Edward noticed and his lips lifted in a half smile. It actually made my heart flutter a little.

"See you later," I said over my shoulder as I made my way to the door.

"Sure, see you," he said, closer than I'd expected. He sounded like he was right against my back. I had my jacket on, so when I extended my wings slightly, just to see how close he was, they weren't visible in the least. I didn't feel him, so I relaxed and walked to lunch. Fang met me at the end of the hall and we continued together.

We got to the lunch room and were a little surprised at how nice it was. I have to admit, I _was_ expecting sort of just a larger classroom. But, Forks got me again with a nice place to eat, and inside a school nonetheless.

"Where should we sit?" I whispered. Fang shrugged. Useless… "Very helpful," I hissed. Luckily, at that moment, Nudge and Iggy walked in. They joined us in the line as we got our food. I grabbed an apple, a slice of pizza, a bottled water, and a salad. It wasn't too big, but it would last until we got home. The others did the same.

I looked around, and, spotting an empty table, steered the flock over to it. It was weird, because when we sat at the table, most of the other kids looked at us, like _what are they doing_? What, was this table off-limits or something?

"Hey," a girl said shyly. I looked up. "I'm Angela, I'm in your biology class first period?" she added when I looked at her blankly. I nodded, remembering her now. I had been staring at her long, dark brown hair when she had first walked into the room, nevermind how tall she was.

"Hi Angela, I'm Max, this is Fang, Monique, and Iggy," I replied sweetly.

"Nudge," Nudge corrected. "It's been my nickname for years," she explained when Angela raised a brow.

"Cool. Well, I just thought I'd drop in and say 'hi'." Angela waved quickly and left, going over to sit at an already crowded table as far from our table as possible.

"Ok…" I frowned at Fang.

"She was just trying to be nice," I reprimanded.

"Hey Max." I looked up and saw Bella, flanked predictably by Edward.

"Hi Bella. Edward," I said, nodding at him. He didn't move, but I thought I detected a small smile creeping into his lips as he looked at the four of us.

"Hey Bella, can I ask you a quick question," I said, not wanting to lose my confidence before I could get an answer.

"Sure," Bella replied smoothly, though she did look a bit confused.

"Why did everyone look at us weird when we sat here? Is this table like reserved or something?"

It was Edward who smiled and answered me. "No, it's just, this is where my family and myself sat last year, and the other students aren't quite over my… siblings. They just found it strange that someone besides the Cullens were sitting at this table."

"Right," Fang said, not quite believing it. I rolled my eyes slyly at him, but I'm sure Edward saw it, since his smile widened a fraction.

"Edward, Bella, would you mind introducing me?" a musical voice said from behind Edward. A small, beautiful girl came into view, her short black hair sticking out in all directions, giving her a sort of pixie-like appearance.

"My apologies," Edward said, his smile disappearing and a miniscule frown taking it's place. "Alice, this is Max, Fang, Nudge, and Iggy. This is my sister Alice."

"Hi Alice," Nudge said. I could hear the awe in her voice as she took in the adorable Alice Cullen. Alice smiled.

"Hello Nudge," she said, her voice like bells. "Nice to meet you all. I'm sure we will become _very_ close friends." She looked pointedly at me as she said that, though I have no idea _why_.

"Alice," Edward said, forcing Alice to break her eye contact with me. "Why don't you go save Bella and I a seat at our table. We'll be there momentarily."

"Sure." I watched, stunned, as Alice walked away. Although, it _was_ more of a graceful dance than anything else.

"Well, have a nice lunch," Bella said cheerfully. "I hope you've had a good first day so far?" I nodded, smiling at her.

"We haven't gotten much attention from the other students, but that doesn't bother us." She frowned slightly.

"Hmm, well, I'm sorry about that. They are usually very welcoming. It might be because this is the first day of school, and you _did_ come un-announced." Her smile returned suddenly. "When I first got here last year, it was in the middle of the semester, so naturally, everyone knew I was coming. That, and my father is chief of police here in Forks."

"Cool," Iggy said, joining our conversation for the first time. I noticed wryly that my plate was the only one with food still on it. Taking advantage of my silence, I wolfed down my pizza in large bites. Yeah, I know, so _unladylike, _but I don't really care. And besides, Bella and Edward are blocking me from being seen by other students.

"So, I'll see you later?" Bella said, looking at me. I smiled and nodded. "Great! Bye."

"Well that was…weird," Fang commented. I nudged him with my elbow.

"Can you just _be nice_?" I begged. "We want to fit in somewhat in this town, so you judging and ignoring everyone isn't helping!"

"Chill Max," he said, holding his hands in front of him. "I'll play nice… just as long as people don't piss me off." I groaned.

"Great, we're doomed then to social awkwardness." Fang glared at me. "What? You had it coming," I pointed out.

"Yeah, whatever. Just finish your food Max." I stuck my tongue out at him and ate the rest of my food, gulping the water down.

The rest of the lunch period, we sat silently, staring off in different directions. We probably looked like idiots, but I had a lot of things to think about, and the flock knew that. So, instead of just talking around me and bugging the crap out of me, they were being good and staying quiet.

When the bell rang, Iggy and I picked up our trays and put them in the pile, following the rest of the crowd out the doors. We put our hoods on as we stepped outside, not wanting the rain to soak us through before we could get to our next class.

"Hey, Max right?" a boy with messy, but at the same time neat, blonde hair asked. I have no idea who he is, so I just nodded. "I'm Mike Newton. We had P.E. together…" he offered when I still had no clue who he was.

"Sorry, I didn't really pay attention today." I tried to walk past him, but Mike was persistent and stayed by my side. I felt short between him and Iggy.

"That's ok, I just wanted to introduce myself," he said, grinning broadly at me. I had to lift my face up, letting the rain drench me for a few seconds. Mike stared at my face, his smile disappearing slowly and a look of awe and shock coming over him.

"Are you ok?" I asked slowly, lowering my head again. Mike blinked rapidly and his smile was on his lips once more.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You just look really familiar is all. Have you been in the newspapers or on TV lately?" I stopped, shocked. I felt Iggy stiffen beside me. This clown knew that we had been on TV, but it wasn't recently.

"Uh, no, why?" I said, walking quickly to catch up. Mike shrugged.

"I could have sworn I've seen you in the papers or on TV before is all." He shrugged again. "Maybe not; maybe you just have one of those faces."

"Yeah, one of those faces," I repeated slowly, not wanting to agree to his excuse too quickly.

"So… what class do you have now?" he asked, trying to start a conversation again.

"I dunno, but I know it's in this building, somewhere at the front," I supplied none too helpfully.

"See you in there," Iggy said, making his escape. I watched angrily as he made his way quickly to our next class. Damn him, leaving me alone with Mike Newton, guy who asks too many questions.

"So… why'd you move here?" he asked suddenly.

"Adoption," I said simply. It was best not to elaborate on the fact that we had no parents _to_ adopt us.

"Oh," he said, sounding surprised.

"What?" I looked up at him again.

"Nothing, it's just a weird coincidence I guess that you guys and the Cullens are both adopted, and both mysterious." I raised my brows at him.

"Mysterious? Am I being mysterious?" I asked, mentally kicking myself. Mystery was just another excuse for someone to dig around in your private life.

"Well, yeah, I suppose," he replied slowly as we entered our class together. I had planned on sitting with Iggy, but Mike steered me to his table instead. Great.

"How am I being mysterious?" I asked, sincerely curious now.

"Uhm… you haven't really talked to anybody unless they talk to you first," he started.

"I'm a new kid," I reminded him.

"Oh, right. Well, no one knew you were coming."

"Was I supposed to call the press or something and announce my arrival?" I retorted jokingly. Yeah, like _I'd_ ever talk to the press. _Me_, whose been on the run for my entire life.

"I guess…" he said, thinking carefully about his next question. "You sat at the Cullens' table."

"How was I supposed to know that table was like sacred or something?"

"No, not sacred, more like everyone's too afraid and intimidated by their memory to sit there," he said in a rush.

"Why is everyone so intimidated by these people? They're just people."

"Trust me, they're _very_ intimidating. Plus, they have a…"

"A what?"

Mike moved his head closer to mine so that Edward, who sat across the aisle from me once more, couldn't hear him.

"A dangerous feel to all of them." I watched Edward as Mike said this, and was surprised to see the corners of his lips pull up in a tiny smile. There was no way he should have heard Mike. He'd whispered in my ear.

"Hmm, well I think I'll decide that for myself," I said, loud enough for Edward to hear. He looked quizzically over at me and met my eyes. I looked away when I noticed that his previously amber eyes, were now darker, more towards dark brown now.

The rest of the class period, Mike found it necessary to help me with all aspects of my work. As usual, the teachers didn't give me a second glance, and they sure didn't ask me to come up to the front and tell the class about myself. Good thing too, because I wouldn't have anything truthful to say.

After the bell rang, I went quickly to Iggy's side and took his arm. He walked confidently out of the room, and I realized that he could see since the walls were white. I smiled to myself. Ah, us mutant bird kids and our freaky talents.

"So, how was it?" I asked him quietly. He shrugged.

"Good I guess." Looking down at me, Iggy smiled mischievously. "That Edward Cullen guy was staring at you the entire class." Instead of blushing like he expected, I frowned, my eye brows coming together in frustration.

"What's wrong?" Iggy asked, sensing my tension. I shook my head.

"Nothing really… it's just, Edward's been paying _way_ too much attention to me all day, and it's freaking me out. I don't know why, but I feel like every time I catch him looking at me, he's trying to stare into my brain."

"Max, you are so weird," Fang said, coming up silently behind me. I jumped slightly as he slung his arm around my shoulder. "You really should be used to it by now."

"Oh, shut up," I said, smiling. It's true, I should be used to the way Fang moves silently around me. But I'm not. Oh well.

The rest of my school day was completely uneventful. I caught Edward Cullen looking at me constantly, since we have almost all of the same classes. It weirded me out completely, but I didn't say anything to him, nor did I mention it to anybody else. Every time, he seemed intrigued by something, as well as determined. Determined to what, I don't know. Intrigued by what, no clue. I made it a job to find out.

"Hello Max," his sexy voice said. I looked up from where I was leaning against my van, waiting for the others.

"Hi," I said cautiously. He must have noticed, because he frowned slightly. "Why do you do that?" I asked before I lost my nerve. His brows shot up in surprise quickly before his face resumed its smooth godliness.

"Do what?" he asked smoothly.

"Uh, more than one thing actually."

"Alright, well what are those things exactly?" He sounded expectant, but also a little guarded. His eyes were guarded as well as they continued their searching of what seemed like my brain.

"Hmm, well for one, the way you make tiny facial expressions that I'm sure no one else notices when you hear something you shouldn't." Proving my point, Edward's lips turned down ever so slightly in a miniscule frown. "Like that, for example."

"You caught those?" he asked, suddenly intent on our conversation. I nodded. "What else have you noticed about me?" I felt like I should just get into my van and ignore him, but I wanted to see how he reacted to my questions.

"Ok, well you stare at me. Constantly. Why?" His frown got fractionally deeper as he considered my question.

"I'm trying to figure you out," he replied at last. I raised my brows, surprised with his answer.

"What d'you mean 'figure me out'?"

"You are an extremely hard person to read," he said, his voice growing soft and velvety. It was _so_ sexy.

"Yeah, well, in the past, that's been a good thing," I said without thinking. I immediately clamped my big mouth shut. That was an incredibly stupid thing to say, and Edward knew it.

"What happened in your past that's made you so guarded Max?" he asked quietly.

"Nothing," I replied, probably too quickly. "It's nothing."

"You're lying to me Max," Edward said, his voice making me look into his eyes. I imagine I should be very confused and dazzled with him right about now, but there was something in his eyes that kept my mind clear. It was the ever-present fact that while I was staring aimlessly into his eyes, he was still trying to probe my mind.

"That's not surprising," I said softly, my breath coming a little short. "I lie all the time." Again, speaking without thinking. Not a good idea around this guy.

"Why do you lie all the time Max? What's your reason for lying to everyone?"

I glanced around and saw that Fang, Iggy, and Nudge were heading my way. Fang was the only one who saw my conversation with Edward. I looked back at Edward.

"Simply the fact that my past, is in the past." I spun around, not wanting him to ask me any more questions. I was afraid that I might give away too much while I listened to his silky voice.

"What was that about?" Fang asked, getting into the drivers' seat.

"Nothing," I said, lapsing back into silence. He didn't ask any more questions, and for that I was glad. I didn't want to tell Fang how much I had accidentally revealed to Edward Cullen. He would know when I was lying, even if no one else did.


	5. Can You Say Deja Vu?

**So, i seriously appreciate the reviews guys, it boosts my self-esteem :) haha anyways, i haven't updated in a while (sorry, soccer takes up a _lot_ of my life), so i'm going to be nice and put the next two chapters in at teh same time. Keep up teh reviews, they'll help make this story even better!! =]**

We picked up the little kids and headed home. Fang speeded a little, just as anxious as I was to get the hell out of this van and fly. I noticed coolly that a silver Volvo followed us, trying to be discreet, all the way up until we reached the reservation line. In the side mirror, I saw it do a u-turn and head back. I'm almost positive that Edward was driving the Volvo.

"So how was your day?" I asked Angel and Gazzy. Gazzy was typical and shrugged, though I knew he would tell me all about it later in private.

"It was so much fun," Angel gushed. I smiled and was content with listening to her babble about her first day at school as we walked into the house.

"Sounds awesome," I said when she concluded her story about how she read the teachers' mind in order to know what he was talking about. "Angel, I don't mind you doing that in class, but not during exams, quizzes, or tests or anything, alright?"

"Ok Max," she said brightly. "That's fine with me. I do want to learn this stuff, it's really interesting, but since I'm so far behind everyone else, I need a little extra help. But I promise I won't cheat."

"That's my girl," I said, smiling and rumpling her bouncing curls.

"How was your day Max?" she asked, following me into my room. I opened my mind to her as I changed into sweat pants and a tank top with wing rips in the back.

"Hmm, he sounds cute," she said at last, giggling when I quirked my eye brows at her. "Just kidding… well, not really, but anyways, I don't know what he wants from you. He can't be an eraser, we wiped them all out, and besides, people said he's been there all four years of high school. He couldn't possibly be after us. _We_ didn't even know we were coming until a few months ago."

"Yeah, that's what I don't get. He seems to want something from me, but I have no idea what. When he asked me about all the lying, I could tell he really wanted to know, you know? He evaded my question about the staring, pretty much, and he probably won't answer me truthfully anyways until _I_ give _him_ some answers of my own."

I groaned and lay down on the bed. Angel sat beside me and tapped lightly on my stomach like it was a drum. Her fingers created a complicated beat as they rapped away on my abs.

"Don't worry Max, you'll be fine," she said confidently.

"But Angel, I can't seem to monitor and sensor what I say when he turns that voice and those eyes on me," I complained. She smiled.

"Max, you'll be okay. He won't get anything important out of you, just some questionable riddles that he wants desperately to figure out." Again, confidence rolled off of her. I wanted to believe Angel, but I wasn't sure that I would accidentally reveal something incriminating tomorrow.

"I'm gunna go for a run," I said, slipping my sneakers on.

"Don't you want to come flying with us?" Angel asked, confused. I shook my head.

"Nah, I'm more in the mood for some serious sweating and a nice workout." I grinned. "Plus, I'll be going into town, and I can't very well fly there."

"True. Well, I guess we'll see you later then," she said, getting up.

"Yeah, I'll be back for dinner." I followed Angel out of my room, but while she went to her own room, I headed downstairs and out the front door.

The cool air felt amazing on my face as I ran down the roads. I passed the reservation high school and smiled when I saw all the dark-skinned natives coming out of the parking lot. I thought I spotted Jacob, but I wasn't sure. They all have the same rusty brown skin and silky black hair.

As I crossed the line into town, I noticed that there were no dark-skinned, long black-haired kids walking around here. They must not come here often, or at least not this part of town anyways. I was passing the shopping market when a car pulled up beside me, coasting slowly.

"Hello Max." I didn't turn my head to even acknowledge him. I didn't want to give him a reason to start questioning me again.

"Hey Max," Bella chimed. I looked then and saw Edward driving his silver Volvo, Bella in the front beside him, and Alice in the back.

"Hi," I said, trying to sound a little breathless. I wasn't even breaking a sweat, but _they_ couldn't know that. I think Edward saw right through my acting, because his eyes scrutinized me after I spoke.

"Where you headed?" Bella asked. I shrugged. "We're going into Port Angeles. Want to come?"

"Sure," I said, without thinking yet again. I mentally kicked myself for getting into a situation where Edward could talk to me.

The car stopped and Alice slid over, giving me the seat behind Bella. I opened the door and slipped inside. The radio was on, playing a sort of soft, lilting piano solo. I leaned back, relaxing in my seat as Bella and Alice chatted about where they would go once in Port Angeles. Not surprising, I caught Edwards' eyes more than a few times on the drive there. During the full hour, the only time I spoke was when specifically spoken to.

At first, the four of us went into a few clothing departments. Alice wrinkled her nose slightly at everything Bella chose, but she praised Bella regardless. I sat back and watched, not particularly interested in clothes shopping. Unfortunately, that gave Edward the chance to talk to me again.

"So you never answered my question." I didn't look at him.

"You didn't answer mine."

"This sounds familiar," he muttered so softly that I'm sure I wasn't meant to hear it. Damn sensitive hearing… just as bad as raptor vision sometimes.

"What's familiar about it? You don't answer peoples questions, choosing instead to give your own cryptic form of an answer, then continuing on with annoying questions of your own?"

Edward didn't answer me at first. I dared a peek at him and saw that he was gazing intently at me. Yet again, I felt like his eyes were probes, trying to invade my brain. I looked quickly away, watching Bella instead as she tried on yet another blue sweater.

"No. I've actually had a conversation quite like this one before," he said finally.

"Really? With who?"

"Bella. Last year, when we first met. She was just as intent on finding the truth about me as you are."

"The truth about you? What, are you hiding something? Some big secret that only Bella and your family know?" I asked, only half serious.

Edwards' eyes narrowed slightly. He looked briefly over my head at Bella and Alice, causing me to turn and look at them as well. Even though she had her back to me, I felt that Alice was listening to our entire conversation.

"So why do you lie?" he asked, ignoring my previous question completely. I noted that in my head and kept it for future thinking.

"Same reason you do. To hide things that people shouldn't know."

"_Shouldn't_ know? Don't you mean things that you don't _want_ people to know?" he asked, raising a brow.

"No. I said what I mean," I replied sternly. I wanted to give him answers that didn't give anything away besides the fact that I, like everybody else, had secrets. It was his problem if he over-analyzed that and thought I had something to hide. Which I do, but he doesn't need to know that either.

"You're an extremely interesting creature, did you know that?" he said suddenly. I caught his use of the word 'creature' and decided to ignore it. If I pointed it out, he would know that I was paying close attention to his word usage.

"Yes, I've been told that before."

"By your boyfriend?" he guessed. I blushed slightly and I know he saw it. My blush disappeared just as quickly as it came on as I remembered who else had said that to me.

_"You're an extremely interesting creature Max," he said from the other side of the bars. I rattled my cage, trying to get at him before he could stick more needles in me. _

_"I'm glad we can study her in such close proximity," she said, grinning expectantly as she grabbed my arm forcefully. I bit my lip as her knife cut across my arm, causing the blood to drip into the basin he held underneath me._

"Max?" I shook my head, bringing myself back to the present. Edward was looking strangely at me, studying my face intently, worry and confusion written in his features. "Are you alright?"

I nodded slightly, positive that my voice would squeak if I tried to talk. I could feel the blood rushing back to my face, informing me that I had gone extremely pale while I reminisced.

"What happened?" he asked softly.

"I was just… remembering," I whispered, not looking at him. I flashed back briefly once more to the white room, the cages, the lab coats… I'm sure my face was paling because Edward put his hand on my back. I flinched slightly before I could think about what I was doing. He took his hand back quickly. It was partially because his hand was cold, partially because his hand had been right over the wing slits in my tank top, but mostly because I had just come out of another waking nightmare.

"Are you two ready to go," Edward called over to Bella and Alice. They both looked over and Bella nodded. I saw Alice examining the paleness of my face with her dark eyes.

We left the shop and moved on. Edward and Alice left us, saying they had a family errand to run and that they'd meet us at the pier in a little while. Bella and I walked side-by-side, not talking, but it wasn't awkward. I had noticed that she was a quiet girl, and I was still a little too rattled to have anything to say just yet.

"Why hello ladies," a rough voice said from behind us. Bella and I turned. I could already see the fear in her eyes as we took in the men before us. There was five of them. All tall, all stocky, and all leering at us. I took Bellas' arm in my hand and turned her around, heading away from them.

"Where are you going ladies?" he asked. Under my hand, I could feel Bella shaking. I gripped her arm tight and sped up, trying to put some distance between us and them.

"Hey!" One of them grabbed my arm and spun me around. "I asked where you were going!" I looked around, hoping to see someone. There was no one else anywhere in sight.

Ripping my arm from his grasp, I lashed out and punched him square in the face. When he staggered backwards, his nose bleeding from an odd angle, all hell broke loose.

As one, three of the goons charged me. I pushed Bella away and got a few good kicks and punches in before they ran off. I started after them but Bella held me back.

"Bella?" We both turned to see Edward and Alice walking down the sidewalk to us. "Max! What happened?"

Edward rushed to me and held my chin in one hand, turning my head from side to side. His cold hand felt good on my bruised chin. He frowned as he examined me. Those bozos had managed to sneak in a few good punches. After all, there _was_ five of them and only one of me. Besides, it's not like any of their punches _hurt_; they just left marks.

"I'm fine," I said, taking my head back.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Bella asked, coming to my side.

"You _fought them?_" Edward hissed, becoming increasingly angry. I ignored him and answered Bella instead.

"I'm adopted, remember?" I said, using my cover story as an explanation. "Where I've been, you… you pick up a few things."

"Why would you _fight_ them?" Edward asked, astounded.

"What was I supposed to do? Let them kick my ass and rape us?" I snapped.

"And what makes you think they wanted to rape you?" Edward asked sharply.

"How many times to I have to say it?" I yelled at him. "I'm adopted! I know how men like them think, trust me!"

"And do I have to remind you that _we_ are adopted as well?" Edward retorted. He took my arm and the four of us started back into town. I tried to free my arm, but he is _strong_. "We don't go looking for fights, we don't use our adoption as an excuse, and we _certainly_ don't put others in danger because of our own stupidity."

I stopped, cut to the quick. My entire _life_, my whole _existence_ has made up of my ability to protect others. And now, this guy is telling me that I put people in danger because of the things I do. True, I _was_ using my 'adoption' as an excuse, but that's only because they can't know the real answer to all their questions and inquires. And I did _not_ go looking for that fight. It came to me.

"I'll find my own way home, _thank you_," I said quietly, forcing him to release my arm. He didn't try to stop me until he realized I was serious. I got a few streets down and into an abandoned alley before Edward caught up with me. Of course, I hadn't realized how fast he was, so my wings were just coming out of my tank top.

I had planned to already be in the air and gone by the time he arrived. Not to be. He stopped dead. His eyes bulged as he took in the lumps on my shoulder blades and the feathers protruding from my ripped shirt. I had wanted to fly only when necessary, thus keeping our presence here secret, but he had really pissed me off.

"Max, I think we need to talk," Edward said quietly. I raised my chin in defiance.

"Why? So you can ask me more questions, the answers to which I can't tell you? Or maybe so that you can piss me off some more? _Or_, so you can degrade my leadership and survival skills even more than you already have."

"Max, can you please just follow me? We need to talk, and I need to tell you something important," he pleaded. Hmm, I hadn't seen him get anxious or upset yet, so this was a bit of a plus.

"Why should I? I'm sure what you have to say is _very important_, but I have to get home. I have a family to _provide for _and _take care of_."

I tried to walk past him, but ability to fly obviously gone, but like I said earlier: he is _strong_. I can outfight, outrun, and basically out-do any grown man, but he was seriously _not human_ or something, because I could _not_ break his grip on me. Edward basically dragged me down the street to a restaurant where Alice and Bella were waiting nervously outside.

"This is just like last year, huh Edward?" Bella murmured. Again, I probably wasn't supposed to hear that, but whatever. Does that mean they always come into contact with mutant bird kids? Yeah, _right_.

"Just," he responded quietly, pulling me through the door. The hostess looked genuinely surprised to see him with me. Well, not _with_ me as much as _dragging_ me. Strange, he must not come here often. Although, it's not like the flock ever had a sort of local hang-out either. But we had a reason.

"Table for… four?" she asked, noticing Bella and Alice for the first time. She hadn't been able to take her eyes off Edward since the moment we stepped through the door.

"Yes please. How about one of those booths in the back?" he suggested. She nodded after a moments thought.

The hostess led us to a table, keeping a close watch on Edwards' every movement. Oh, she was _definitely_ going to gossip back in the kitchen with the waitresses. For some odd reason, Edward smiled as he saw the table we would be seated at. Ok… someone has good memories here or _something_.

"This is perfect, thank you," he said, his silky voice clearly stunning her for a few seconds. She nodded mutely and stumbled back to the podium.

Edward released my arm and practically threw me into the seat directly across from him. Not surprisingly, Bella sat beside him, and Alice drew a chair over so that I was alone on my side of the table. Yeah, like I wasn't used to _that._

"So, what is _so_ important that you dragged me here?" I asked, keeping my voice low. I didn't particularly want to make a scene, since we would probably be talking about my lack of all human genes.

"Hmm, besides the obvious, Alice and I have something to tell you… about us."

"Yeah? And what about you? Ooh, let me guess!" I was joking, but he seemed inclined to actually hear what I was going to say. "You two are mutants too!" That was the best way I could think of to get the word 'mutant' out in the open.

Edwards brows shot up at the word. Good. He clearly wasn't expecting that. I enjoy when I provide the unexpected. It gives me an… edge.

"Mutants?" Bella whispered. I turned my eyes on her and nodded soberly. I was done joking. When the tables turned, I wanted them to know that I was dangerous.

"Before birth, I had avian DNA injected into me. I have wings. I have bird bones. I have larger lungs than any of you. And I can fly." I sat back, waiting for their reactions. They were _not_ what I expected.

Edward was calm as ever. The only reaction I saw was another one of his microscopic lip twitches, this time, turning up in a smile. Bella, on the other hand, outright sighed in _relief_. Alice, most surprising of all, got up out of her seat, walked around the table until she was beside me, and _hugged me_. Naturally, I froze, not sure what to do in this particular situation.

"Well, _that's_ a relief," she breathed, standing straight. I looked up at her, surprise written all over my face. Of course, at that moment, a waitress came up.

"Hello, my name is Kathy, and I'll be your server this evening!" she said, giving Edward a big, unnecessary smile. I noticed that she had pulled her polo shirt down as far as it would go, trying to show off her chest as much as possible. Slut.

"Max, what would you like," Alice asked. The server looked encouragingly to Edward, not thinking that Max was a girl.

"Uhm, I'll have a burger and a salad, with a large Coke," I said, forcing her to turn her attention to me. She nodded briefly and jotted it down, quickly looking back at Edward. "Bella?" I said politely. This was fun, making the waitress squirm.

Bella caught on and smiled mischievously. "I'll have a plate of mushroom ravioli and a Coke. That will be all," she added when Kathy turned once more to Edward. Her eyes opened in surprise and she continued to look expectantly at Edward. He didn't even look at her, in on the joke as well.

"Alright," she said stiffly, clearly put out. "I'll be back with your drinks momentarily." Kathy spun on her heel and flounced away.

"That was…interesting," Edward commented. "I didn't know you were such an instigator Max."

"Please," I snorted. "My _job_ is instigating people. Well, not _people_ per say, more like mutant wolf people." The table froze at that. "What? What did I say?"

"Mutant _wolf_ people?" Alice said sharply. I nodded slowly, not sure what they were getting at.

"Yeah, Erasers. They were built and designed to wipe me out. You know, human men, undeniably beautiful, sickly sweet voices that can make humans do what they want, they morph into wolf-men… Oh, I guess you don't know."

"No, we don't," Edward replied, his eyes narrowing. "Why do you have enemies Max?"

"Don't we all? Everyone has enemies Edward," I said quietly. "Except, only mine are out to kill me."

"Why do they want to kill you?" Bella asked, a little too loudly. People at a nearby table turned to look questioningly at us. Edward smiled and mouthed 'rehearsing for a play.' Ooh, very smooth recovery.

"Because I wasn't supposed to escape. Simple as that," I whispered. "And they want me back." I closed my eyes. It was still hard for me to talk about this. After all, up till recently, I had been running for my survival from Erasers my entire life. It wasn't my favorite topic, not by a long shot.

"I see we're going to have a long story ahead of us," Alice observed. "I say we go back to our house and discuss this with Carlisle and Esme."

"Whoa, no," I said, jumping up. "I won't talk to anyone about this. I've already told you too much. I will _not_ tell adults about my life. Bye." I ran out of the restaurant, the hostess smirking as I passed. Probably thought Edward had dumped me or something. Bi-otch.

I headed quickly for a vacant building. Breaking down the rotting door, I bolted up the flights of stairs. When I got to the roof, I was immensely glad it was night. I leapt off, whipping my wings out as I fell. The air caught under my wings lifted me up until I cleared the other buildings. Allowing myself a _very_ brief smile, I began my flight home. I refrained from going into hyper-speed, deciding that I would like to enjoy the peace of flying. Also, I had a lot to think about.

For all I knew, Edward could go to the police and tell Bella's father what I was. He would somehow force the chief of police to believe there was something 'off' about me. Within a few hours, maybe even a day, the flock and me would be on the run again. Damn!

**Review... please and thank you :)**


	6. Fang's PMSing and 1 Secret is Out

I reached the house at last, grateful once more for the forest that surrounded our neighborhood. I landed softly in a tree and dropped to the ground below. I glanced around quickly before sprinting out of the trees and into my house, which may or may not be mine for much longer.

"Max! What's wrong?" Nudge asked, startled with my sudden entrance.

"Uhh, I may have accidentally outed us," I said quickly, glad Fang wasn't here.

"You _what!_" Fang roared, coming into view. I flinched under his glaring black eyes. "Max, what did you _do?!_"

"Nothing! Edward, Bella, and Alice gave me a ride to Port Angeles, Bella and me almost got raped and killed, I saved our lives, Edward caught me with my wings partially out, they took me to dinn—"

"_He caught you with your wings out! Why the hell did you have your wings out in the middle of a city?!"_ Fang was _so_ pissed right now… There was literally steam coming off him. The rest of the flock quietly slipped out of the room, afraid to be there when Fang exploded.

"I didn't mean to," I cried. "He was asking me questions about our life that I couldn't answer so I ran off. How was I supposed to know that he has in-human speed? I had just started to unfurl my wings when he ran around the corner into the alley I was in."

"Great," he snapped, coming at me. "Just great Max. We finally have a chance at a semi-normal life, and _you_ have to go and reveal us on our first day here!"

"I'm sorry! Edward said he had something important to tell me about him and his family, but I didn't get around to hearing it because I bolted!" I said, trying to calm him down a bit. At the moment, Fang was standing menacingly over me, his face furious, his eyes practically burning holes in me.

"I don't care what _Edward_ told you," he snarled quietly in my face. "All that matters is what _you_ told them. And you might as well have told them everything."

"Well I didn't, ok?" I said, tears pouring out of my eyes. "And the important thing right now is that we get the flock out of here."

"No Max," he said quietly. "_We_ are not doing anything. _I_ am getting the flock to safety. _You_ are leaving. Now."

"Wha—what?" I whispered, confused.

"Get out Max. Now." Fang was dead serious when he said this. I could tell.

"You can't be serious," I said, starting to reason with him. "I have nowhere to go, I—"

"That's not my problem anymore Max," he said calmly, but still menacing as hell. "And I am dead serious."

I shook my head, not believing that Fang, my right-hand man, was kicking me out of the flock. When a dangerous look came into his eyes, I knew I had to leave, and fast.

I leapt over the table, staying as far from _him_ as I could. I couldn't even see the doorknob to open it, my tears were so heavy. I managed to open the door quickly though, because I was out on the front steps, across the street, and into the woods before I knew it.

I ran through the trees, not holding back whatsoever. I didn't care at this point who saw me. It didn't matter. I didn't have the flock, so I didn't have a reason to live. Screw the world.

"Hey, hey, hey," Jacob said, his arm shooting out to grab me mid-stride. "Max, are you ok?"

"Do I look like I'm ok?" I snapped, the tears still flowing. I was too upset to think about how he had not only _seen_ me, but had actually _caught_ me while I was running full speed.

"No, as a matter of fact, you don't. You look like shit," Jacob said, cracking a smile. I just looked blankly back at him. His smile slid off his face and he became serious.

"I don't really give a damn what I look like. It doesn't matter anymore."

"Why not? You're still alive, aren't you?" he asked, trying to cheer me up again.

I looked up at him. Why does he care? I don't know this guy.

"For now," I said quietly. "But I shouldn't be."

Like I'd been doing all day, or so it seemed, I tore myself from his grasp and resumed running. I obviously have no idea where I'm going, but that doesn't matter to me right now. Nothing really matters. Oh, wait, except for that obnoxious panting that I can hear behind me. Wait… panting… loud padding sounds… previous sightings of a giant wolf… oh shit.

I turned around for a _second_, but apparently that's all it took. The wolf was on me before I could turn back and continue running. Its massive head knocked me over, slamming me into a tree. I got up, only to be forced back down again by the humongous paw on my chest.

I struggled, but this thing weighed like a gazillion pounds. It snarled at me, the huge teeth in my face. Yeah, I could cry and scream and freak out, but that just wouldn't be _me_. Nope, I ain't goin' down without a fight. I chose to ignore the fact that seconds ago I had been ready to commit suicide.

I tried to punch the wolf in the face (yeah I know, stupid idea… shut up all you people that would criticize me. You try fighting a wolf bigger than a freaking horse). I didn't even touch the thing. It's head was too far away. I tried swinging at the paw on top of me, but I just bruised my hand.

I looked around wildly, vying for a way to get out of this itty-bitty situation. That's when I noticed that the wolf had a drawstring on it's back paw. Attached to the string was a pair of black sweatpants and a white t-shirt. I vaguely remembered that that's what Jacob had been wearing when he stopped me.

My breath became ragged. The wolf was right on top of my lungs, and my chest was caving in a little. Oh God this hurt. I've had worse, but at least then I could _fight back._ I couldn't even move, this wolf had me pinned to the ground. All I remember next is that my vision went hazy and then black.

I woke up later, probably _much_ later based on how hungry I was, how much my body hurt, and how dry my throat was. I could hear talking all around me, but I was still too out of it to tell who it was.

"That still doesn't explain _why_ she's here!" a husky voice said from somewhere nearby.

"What, should I have just _left_ her there?" another voice retorted.

"Can you _please_ keep it down?" a woman very close by pleaded.

"Sorry Em," the first voice said, quieter and more in control this time. "Jake, I think you really messed up this time."

Messed up this time… sounds like me… This got me to thinking about the flock and my fight with… _him_. I cringed and squeezed my eyes shut as tight as I could, trying to hold back the tears.

"Hey! I think she's awake!" the woman exclaimed. I heard more than one pair of footfall as the air around me suddenly thickened and grew hot.

"Max. Max honey, can you hear me?" the woman whispered soothingly. She took my hand in both of hers, trying for a reaction. I could feel that her hands were calloused, just like a working womans' should be. Damn straight!

I managed to squeeze her hand a little, proving I was conscious. She breathed a little sigh of relief and released my hand. I didn't really want to open my eyes and face reality right now; I'm just not in the mood.

"Max, can you open your eyes?" she asked softly. Yeah, but I don't _want_ to. I let out a mental sigh and forced my eyes open.

The first thought I had: thank God the lights are off; my eyes would _not_ be able to take blinding light bulbs right now. That's why I hate hospitals. They don't seem to understand that the last thing a person wants when they wake up, is to think they're going blind.

My second thought: shit, where am I? I blinked and saw a pretty young woman with almond shaped eyes and a nasty scar on one side of her face leaning over me. She smiled when she saw that I was looking at her. Another flick of my eyes showed me Jacob Black and another older looking guy next to him.

"Max, how do you feel?" Jacob asked me. The older boy hit him in the stomach. The woman frowned at him.

"Max, how do you feel?" the woman asked, sounding concerned.

"I feel like shit," I mumbled. She cracked a smile. Yeah, I probably shouldn't be a comedian at a time like this, but hey, I didn't even mean to. That was a serious answer.

"Do you think you can sit up?" the older boy asked softly. I glared at him. Why, does he want me gone in the next five minutes? It's not my fault I'm here. I had no free will in this.

"Sam, she _just_ woke up," the woman reasoned. "Give her a bit. You can't forget that she's not like you guys."

"Yeah, I know, sorry." Sam sighed. "This is just a _bit_ frustrating for me."

"Frustrating for _you_?" I rasped. "How do you think I feel? How did I get here, _why_ am I here, and _what the hell is going on_?"

"Emily, will you get her some water please?" Sam asked, looking at the woman. She nodded.

"And a few cheeseburgers," I added. She turned and grinned at me. "What? I'm hungry." Jacob and Sam were giving me identical odd stares. It was incredibly weird.

"Hmm, yes, well Jacob will get those for you in a moment," Sam said. "But in the meantime, you have some talking to do." I snorted.

"Yeah, 'cuz I'm gunna tell _you_ how shitty my life is. Please, get over yourself."

"Fine. We tell you, you tell us? Agreed?"

"You tell me what?" I asked warily. Sam's lip turned up in a half-smile.

"About us. About our pack; our tribe. About werewolves."

"What?" I jumped, bolting upright. I backed away from the edge of the bed, cursing the fact that I was inside and the door was behind Sam and Jacob.

"We're werewolves. Ok, so technically, we're 'shape shifters', but the general idea is, we turn into wolves." I know that he was trying to do this all smooth and everything, but with _my_ past and wolf men, that didn't go over too well.

"Goodbye!" I said, leaping over them.

I skid to a stop, barely reaching the door before a strong arm was around my waist, containing me. I twisted around and let my fist fly. My right fist connected with Jacobs' chin, and I stopped, biting my lip so hard it bled a _lot_. God_damn_ that hurt. My entire hand was throbbing so hard I could almost see it pulsing.

"Ow," Jacob said, sounding genuinely surprised. "That— that actually _hurt_."

"Really?" Sam asked, sounding just as surprised as Jacob. I swear, I think they forgot I was there for a few seconds.

"Sam! Jacob!" Emily came running into the room. She flicked Jacob in the ear, taking him out of his little world where my punch 'actually hurt'. "Hello, she's _bleeding_."

"Oh! Right, sorry." He let go of me. Ha! Bad move dude. Sure my hand may be broken, but I don't like wolves, which is completely understandable, so there is _no way_ I'm sticking around.

I was out the door in seconds, grateful they hadn't thought to lock it. I only glanced around for a few seconds before launching myself into the air. Wings unfurled, I felt great. I rose higher and higher into the sky, not wanting to be able to see anything below me.

When I got high enough, I took a deep breath and went into hyper-speed, heading for Forks. I cut off, seeing a silver Volvo below me. I followed the road, testing a theory I had just come up with. I had no doubt it would fail, but there was no point in not amusing myself.

I followed the road until it came to an intersection, keeping the Volvo a little behind me at all times. When I saw that the blinker was going right, I went left. The Volvo went left. At the next fork in the road, I went right, then a quick left onto a side street. The Volvo stayed below me. I was beginning to freak out a _teeny-tiny_ bit. I mean, who wouldn't when a car is following you from an in-humanly visible distance below you?

I began my descent, not sure what I was going to do when I landed. I was trying to make a game plan when I landed in a nearby tree, but it went out of my mind when another car pulled up behind the Volvo. Five people stepped out of the Volvo, and three out of the incredibly nice red BMW convertible.

I recognized Edward, Bella, and Alice, but the others were unfamiliar. They all seemed to have a certain likeness to Edward and Alice. They were all pale, had amber-ish eyes, ranging from darker to lighter, and they were all absolutely gorgeous. This one blonde girl, actually made _me _self-conscious about my looks. Me! Who doesn't care about her appearance. That just proves how amazingly, unbelievably beautiful she was.

"Max, come out here please," Edward called softly. He obviously knew I could hear and see him, so there really was no point in shouting and bringing attention to us.

"What if I don't want to," I said, dropping from the tree. I landed softly, even though the branch I had been in was about seventy feet off the ground.

Edward smiled, deciding to play my game for the moment. "Then we'll come and get you."

"I'd like to see you try," I said sweetly. He didn't get a chance to answer because I came into view and they all stopped walking.

"Max, this is my adopted father Carlisle, his wife Esme, my 'sister' Rosalie, and my 'brothers' Emmet and Jasper. You of course already know Bella and Alice." He turned to his family. "Everyone, this is Max."

"It's very nice to meet you Max," Esme said, a beautiful smile lighting up her face. Carlisle nodded in agreement but otherwise didn't make a sound.

"So, you're the chick that wanted to meet me," the incredibly large Emmet said. I grinned my cocky grin and nodded once. "Am I intimidating now?"

"Eh, no, not really," I said nonchalantly. I was only partially lying. He was huge and rippling with muscles, but I'm not afraid of men. It's wolves I'm afraid of.

"Well, we'll see about that," Rosalie murmured. I glanced at her. She was grinning just as cockily as I had been.

"I guess we will," I agreed. I may not have had any idea what she was talking about, but whatever.

"Max, I would like it very much if you would come back to our home with us, where we can discuss this in private?" Esme inquired. I thought about it.

I didn't see any immediate danger, but that was only because they didn't look as if they would suddenly morph into mutant dogs. Old habits die hard. I could always fly away, but I might not always have the ability to fly. Then again, I _did_ want to hear what they have to say…

"Fine." Edward smiled knowingly. "I'll go. But you lead the way. I'll meet you there." No way was I getting into a small, enclosed space with them.

"Fine by me," Edward said. They all got into their cars and drove away. I leapt into the air and, finding the cars below me, followed them.

The cars led me out of Forks and through a quarter-mile or so of forest. At the end of the insanely long driveway, was an incredible house. The entire wall on one side was glass. Yeah, not the best idea with a flying girl around, but hey, whatever. When the garage opened up, I saw a long line of the most beautiful vehicles in the world. Okay, these guys are _loaded._


	7. Oh Look, the Vampires Have Arrived

I landed in a tree on the other side of a nearby river. I honestly hate landing on flat ground, it hurts a bit on my feet. Plus, it jars my legs a little. They were all waiting for me patiently while I floated over the river, my wings still extended. I heard Carlisle mutter something unintelligible, but it sounded like a compliment. Good, at least _someone_ appreciates me. Stupid, idiotic, thick-headed… tall, dark, amazing— Ok! _That_ ramble is done!

"Max, if you would follow us inside please," Esme said politely. What is it with people around here that only the women talk to me? Everyone but Jasper and Carlisle have spoken to me. Edward because I know him, sort of, and Emmet because he was challenging me. A challenge I still have to show up, by the way.

Regardless, I went inside behind them, cautious as ever. I didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't what I saw. The inside of their house was beautiful. It reminded me faintly of the house the flock and I had lived in before Jeb came back to life and Angel got kidnapped.

"Do you like it?" Alice asked from beside me, scaring the crap outta me. I hadn't seen her move.

"Uh-huh." Yup, that was all I could manage. Aren't I so good with words?

"Would you like something to drink Max?" Esme offered. "Or maybe something to eat?" I think she added that because she heard my stomach growling. Going so long with the promise of food had made me soft. Damn those instant microwave-able foods…

"Yes, thank you. Anything you have is fine." Emmet chuckled from behind me. I spun. Huh, I hadn't seen _him_ move either. Another laugh came from right in front of me. When I turned, Rosalie was inches from my face. Lucky for me and my pride, I didn't flinch or move a muscle. She looked a little put out.

"Ok… what's going on?" I asked. Rosalie smirked and back off a few feet. Except, it was like, suddenly she's there, and then she's farther away than possible with one step. What the _hell_?

"This Max, is how we live," Edward said softly into my ear. I didn't move. For some reason, at this close of a range, he seemed dangerous. Wow, I _must_ be getting soft. "Or rather, this is how we _are_."

Bella looked a little apologetic from her seat on the sofa. I wondered about that for a few seconds, then, I knew why.

Emmet launched himself at me. I ducked, but I wasn't quite fast enough. He knocked me over, but he didn't pin me to the wall behind me as I surmised he had planned to. A split second later, Alice was in front of me, her eyes dancing as she poked me faster than seemed possible. I felt like I was vibrating. It was a very unpleasant feeling, I must say.

Rosalie appeared beside me and shoved me gently backwards, right into Jaspers' arms. He caught me and his arms formed a cage around me. I couldn't even make his arms budge as I struggled. Suddenly, I felt extremely relaxed. I stopped squirming and was limp in his arms.

"What are you doing to me?" I muttered, my eyes closing without my consent. Jasper chuckled.

"I'm calming you down Max," he said soothingly. "You are much too stressed."

"Hmm, I wonder why," I said, yawning widely. Jasper lifted me into his arms, carrying me like a child that weighed only a few pounds. I may have weighed a lot less than other kids my age, but _still_.

"Max, why don't you _take a seat_," Rosalie said sharply. I was pressed against the couch, my shoulders held tightly down by a strong pair of hands.

"What's going on?" I murmured, half asleep. Jasper left the room, and suddenly, I was wide-awake and freaking out.

"I have to go now," I said, starting to hyperventilate a little. This little get-together was just a little _too_ weird, and coming from me, that's certainly saying something.

"Max, please calm down and listen to us," Edward said from directly behind me. I surmised it was he holding my shoulders down.

"Then let go of me," I pleaded, starting to freak out more than I would have hoped. So much for keeping my cool…

"After we tell you," he promised.

"Then tell me!" I was disappointed at my lack of cool in a moment like this.

"We're vampires."

I froze. No way was this for real… First Jacob and them, now _this_? Hell no. I cannot handle all this right now… Do people not understand that my world has just shattered?

"I need to go," I said quietly. Alice sighed, sounding impatient.

"Max, just deal with this please," she said from across the room.

"Why do you people insist on forcing these things on me?" I cried.

The eyebrows of everyone in the room were raised as they all stared at me. Edward gripped my shoulders harder than necessary without realizing it. When I flinched away from him and made a very soft sound of pain, Edward relaxed and muttered an apology.

"What are you talking about?" Alice asked cautiously, as if she did not want to know the answer.

"Well, before you guys got to me, Jacob _attacked_ me and made me lose consciousness. I woke up in someone's house with people named Sam and Emily, and Jacob hovering over me. They forced their little _secret_ on me." I shivered, remembering. As I've said multiple times, I _hate_ wolf-people.

"That mangy, _stupid_, idiotic mongrel," Edward swore. So, they knew too. Oh, well I guess they'd have to know.

"What was he _thinking_?" Rosalie snapped. She looked furious, just like the rest of them.

"Ex_cuse me_? What was _he_ thinking? What about you? You guys practically gave me a _heart attack_," I informed them.

"Yeah, well…" Edward began. I stopped him.

"I really have to go," I said, getting up. Edward had released my shoulders when I told them about wolf-boy. "Nice to meet you all, but I— I have bigger issues right now."

"Bigger issues than finding out that werewolves and vampires exist?" Emmet laughed at the thought and snorted disbelievingly. I glared at him as he stood before me.

"You… don't… know… what… is going on… in… my… screwed up… life," I hissed, poking him hard in the chest with each pause for emphasis. It may have done more damage to me than him, but it got the point across.

He looked surprised as I shoved past him and Jasper, heading for the door. No one moved to stop me, and for that, I was glad. Even Jaspers' freaky little 'powers' didn't faze me as I stepped out into the rain.

The rain felt good on my stressed body, relaxing my strained muscles as I took a few running steps before vaulting into the air, my wings outstretched. I looked back briefly to see all of them standing on the porch, dry under the roof, watching me. I gave an apologetic half-wave before flying off. I was almost home when I remembered that I couldn't go there. The flock was most likely gone by now. I slowed, unsure of what to do.

A howl below me made me look down. The enormous russet wolf, flanked by a chocolate wolf and a black wolf were running directly below me. Damn him. I know that they're different from Ari and the rest of those Erasers, but I still can't trust them. Sighing, I swooped low, staying in the air, but close enough to the ground to talk.

The wolves bolted out of my sight for a few seconds, only to come back as humans wearing just sweatpants. Jacob walked towards where I was hovering a few feet off the ground. When he stopped about four feet away, I backed up and made the distance between us twelve feet. He raised a brow but nodded in understanding. Not that he _did_ understand, I'm sure he was just playing along.

"Max… we need to talk," he began.

"Yeah, you and everyone else in this town," I snorted. "I just got paid a visit by vampire central over there," I said, jerking my thumb in the direction of the Cullens' house.

"What?" Sam sounded just as furious as the Cullens had when I told them about Jacob and the wolves. "They told you?"

"Why not? Everyone else here has told me their deep-dark secrets. Why should they be an exception?" I knew I was being a tiny bit unfair, but I can honestly say that I'm not having a good day.

"Hmm, that's something, now isn't it," the other guy muttered. I looked sharply at him.

"I don't like all your secrets, so you'd better spill," I warned menacingly. He looked like he was about to laugh for a moment, but one look from Sam told him to play it cool.

"Nothing really, I was just thinking how weird it is that you should be told about their existence on the same day as you're told about ours."

I snorted. "Not really. I _did_ save his girlfriends life today. He owed me."

"You saved Bella?" Jacob sounded worried. I tucked that away in my arsenal of seemingly-useless-crap-that-I-know-about-people.

"Yeah, me and her. These guys were harassing us, so I kicked their asses," I said. Plain and simple.

"You beat up two grown men?" the other guy, whose name I still don't know, asked disbelievingly.

"Five. And yes, I could have killed them. Quite easily actually. Humans are so… fragile. They're like egg-shells." I enjoyed their equally afraid looks for a moment before the three of them regained their composure, their faces becoming placid.

"You say humans like you're not one of them," what's-his-face observed. I rolled my eyes.

"Uh, did you miss something? Were you not paying attention when I _flew down here_? What part of _mutant avian_ do you not understand?"

He started to shake, which I found increasingly odd. His hands curled into fists, clenching and unclenching as he glared at me. I was surprised with his sudden bipolar-ness. Jacob and Sam, on the other hand, seemed to spring into action.

Jacob stood behind him, pulling his arms back. He talked softly into his ear, trying to calm him down. Sam pushed on his chest and tried to force him backwards. It took both of them to get this guy away from me. The entire time this was happening, I stood calmly, staring into his eyes.

"What were you thinking?" Jacob hissed when they came back a few minutes later. "He could have killed you!"

"I'm not afraid of him," I said, meeting his eyes. "I'm not afraid of Sam, and I'm certainly not afraid of you. Besides, as I said earlier, my time here is almost up. I am _not_ afraid to die anymore."

The two remaining looked between themselves, trying to figure out what I was talking about. When they understood, both took steps toward me. I backed up, crouching into a fighting stance.

"I think I'll go find you friend," I said, a small smile creeping onto my face. "Maybe he has something to say about all this."

"Unless you have a death wish, stay away from Quill," Jacob warned. I smiled sadly.

"Oh Jacob," I sighed. "I have a very large death wish, one I'm sure even your angry friend Quill couldn't fulfill, not even in his wildest dreams."

I was done talking about this. Springing upward, I shot into the air. Jacob dove at my feet as I rose, but he missed… barely. I gave them a sort of salute before heading in the direction I had seen them taking Quill. I assumed he'd be either at his house, or at the beach. Lucky for me, it was the latter.

**Review please :) P.S. don't worry, more on the secret-spilling will be explained later.**


	8. Suicide Clearly Doesn't Work Right :P

"Hey Quill," I said, landing behind him. The roar of the waves crashing down on the sand not too far off made me feel less concerned about what I was trying to do. Along with the sound of the waves, another sound plunged into my brain.

_Max, this is a terrible idea._ Why hello Voice! It's just _so_ good to hear from you again! But I'm a little busy right now, so we'll have to chat later. With that, I shut the voice out, ignoring it as thoroughly as I could, though I could still hear a slight humming in the back of my mind.

There was no one on this part of the beach, so I had no worries about being seen. "Whatcha doin?" I asked politely.

"None of your business," he snapped, turning away from me. "Go away. I could hurt you. Don't you understand that any one of us could kill you when we're angry? We shift when we get angry, and we can't control it most of the time."

"That's what I was hoping for." I jumped on his back, wrapping my arms around his neck.

Quill struggled, trying to fling me off his back. Using all my strength, I was able to hold on. I could tell he was becoming increasingly upset by the way he shook me more and more. Finally, he managed to shake me off, and I fell to the ground. Usually, I would have been up and kicking by now, but not this time. Nope, this time, I just lay back, propped up on my elbows, waiting for him.

Like I hoped he would, Quill turned and jumped on me. His arms came around my neck, his legs on top of mine. I thought he might try to break me in half, but instead his grip on my neck tightened like a boa constrictor. I began to lose my breath, and boy was it going fast.

_This is not how it's supposed to happen Max._ Damn that annoying little voice! Can't I have _some_ peace and quiet on my death bed? _Except this isn't your death bed Max._ Yeah, _ok_, try telling that to the guy strangling me to death.

"Max!" Goddamn it, what does he want now? Can't he see I'm a little busy helping this kid kill me? "Damnit Max, stop it!"

"Shut it kid!" Quill snarled. "I'm a little busy right now!" Thank you. At least _somebody_ here will be able to make Fang wait.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, back _up_. _Fang? What the hell is he doing here?_ Shouldn't he be _long gone_ by now?

Suddenly Quill's grip on my neck loosened, and he was eventually pulled off me. I was panting as I glared up at everyone standing around me. That would be Jacob and Sam holding back Quill, Emily, and Fang. _Especially Fang_. I couldn't say anything to him. I didn't have anything to say.

_Told you_. Shut up! Honestly, I don't need your input after my failed attempt to die.

After a few seconds, I couldn't look at him anymore. I turned my head, looking as far from Fang as I could. I waited only a few more seconds, just long enough to catch my breath before I stood up. Fang started towards me, but I held up my hands. There was no way I wanted him near me. He would probably start yelling again. I couldn't take it… not again.

I didn't give them any notice of what I was about to do. My wings shot out and I jumped as hard as I could into the air. I pushed hard and rose swiftly into the air. When I was above the trees, I saw Fang jump up after me. I poured on the speed, heading towards Forks. As quickly as I could, I snapped into hyper-speed. Fang wouldn't be able to see me at the speed I was going.

_Where are you going to go Max? Surely not back to the Cullens quaint home. I believe it's a little too ostentatious for your taste, am I right?_ The voice was correct, as it knew it would be. I'm not planning on going there, my little Voice. I'm heading somewhere else.

When I stopped and landed in a tree nearby, I hoped she was home. Two cars were in the driveway, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. I took a deep breath, walked up the front porch and knocked on the door. I heard footsteps inside and briefly considered turning back, but then the door opened.

A man about thirty-five stood in the doorway. His brown hair was thinning back from his forehead, but the mustache he had goin' on made up for that. His chocolate brown eyes scrutinized me as I stood there, wet, tired, hungry, and probably very mangy-cat looking.

"Can I help you?" he asked warily.

"May I speak to Bella please?" I asked politely. _Sir_. "Sir." I added the 'sir' for my Voice's benefit. He nodded after a seconds thought.

"Hey Bells, there's someone at the door for you," he called over his shoulder. I heard Bella thumping down the stairs, practically at a run as she slid around the corner. She clearly wasn't expecting _me_ because she stopped when she saw who was at the door.

"Hey," I said, giving a little wave. She smiled.

"Hey. Dad, why don't you move out of the way and let her in?" she suggested lightly. Her father nodded and left the room, going back to his couch to watch baseball.

"Sorry to interrupt your dinner," I said, noticing the plates of food on the table in the kitchen. She shook her head.

"Don't worry about it. So… what's up?" She sounded so… cheery. My sucky day crashed down on me and I almost broke down right then. I think she sensed it, because Bella took me by the shoulders and ran upstairs with me. _It's ok to let go sometimes Max_. Seriously, shut up.

"It's ok Max," she soothed once the door to her room had been closed. "Just tell me what happened."

"I can't deal with this," I whispered, the tears beginning to pour again. "He promised that we wouldn't _ever_ split up again. And now he's the one forcing me out." _And guess what Max, this time it's not _completely_ your fault._ Oh, thanks, _that_ makes me feel better.

"Who Max?" she asked softly.

"Fang," I cried. She put her arms around me, which was a little weird, but in my distress, I took it. _Let her comfort you. It will do you some good to have others take care of you for once._

"Oh, you mean that other boy in our P.E. class?" I nodded. "What do you mean he forced you out?"

"He kicked me out of the house. He told me to leave. I— I can't stand this! We've been together our entire lives, and now…"

"So you miss him?" I nodded.

"Yeah. I mean, he's my right-hand man, he's always been there for me… and now… now he's just… gone."

"Wow, you really loved him, didn't you?" I looked up at her, surprised. _She understands Max._

"Wha—what?" She looked just as surprised as I did.

"Oh, c'mon Max, don't tell me you didn't know," she said skeptically.

"What are you talking about Bella? Fang is my _best friend_. Why would you say that?"

"Because of the way you sounded when you mentioned his _name_… I just thought maybe it was deeper than that. Besides, how could you not see the way he looked at you in school today?"

"School," I murmured. It hadn't seemed like today. Oh well, this day keeps getting worse and worse, not to mention _longer_. "How… how did he look at me?" I asked tentatively. She cracked a small smile.

"Well, for starters, whenever you were in his sight, his eyes never left you, even if you were walking in the hall, twenty feet away. In class? Oh, _that_ was a different matter altogether. Not only did his eyes never leave you, but when you talked to another guy, his eyes narrowed and he seemed to be listening closely for your answer. Even the _teacher_." I blushed. I had been so focused on Edward that I hadn't noticed Fang. Ironic, isn't it? "Now, at _lunch_. The entire time we were talking to you, Fangs' eyes flicked between you and Edward, always calculating what he was saying, your reaction, your answer… It was incredible." _Do you believe what she is telling you Max? Remember those words, and it will make decisions easier for you in the future_. You're crazy…

"Yeah Max, he definitely loves you," Alice said matter-of-factly from the bed. I jumped a mile.

"Hey Bella," Edward said, giving her a quick peck on the forehead before joining Alice on the bed.

"What the…? How did you get in here?" I looked between the two of them. I didn't completely forgive them for earlier.

"Simple Max. We came in through the window." He sounded like it was _normal_ for people, I'm sorry, _vampires_ to climb through second story windows at eight at night. _Who says it's not?_ Was I _talking_ to you? Clearly, no, so shut it! Honestly…

"You know what, I'm going to ignore that, and you," I said, turning away from him. Alice laughed, her tinkling laugh lighting up the room. Bella blushed and tried to hide a smile.

"Hey Bells, are you going to finish your dinner?" Chief Swan called from just outside the door. I gulped and looked quickly to the bed, only to see that Edward and Alice had vanished. Damn creepy vampires…

"Uhmm yeah dad, in a bit ok?"

"Alright. Why don't you heat up some more for your… friend," he suggested, trying to be polite. Bella and I smiled.

"Will do dad," she yelled. "So… do you need a place to stay?" she asked me hesitantly. I nodded and hung my head, depression coming over me.

"Hey dad, is it ok if Max sleeps over?"

"Who?" Oh, that's right, I hadn't been introduced to her dad yet. Whoops.

"Max? The girl I'm with right now?" Bella said, laughing. We both heard the sigh of relief.

"Yeah sure Bells, just give yourselves enough time in the morning for both of you to shower."

"Ok, thanks dad."

"Thanks Chief Swan," I added. He grunted and we heard him thump back down the stairs.

"Where do your parents think you are right now?" Bella asked suddenly. I smiled wryly. _Tell the truth_.

"I don't have any parents," I confessed, against my better judgment. She looked confused, as did the newly-returned Alice and Edward.

"So, who have you been living with?" Alice asked.

"The flock. It's just me, Iggy, Nudge, Angel, Gazzy, and… him." I bit my lip. "We never had an adult with us, and we weren't going to. We've lived on our own before, and this is no different. That's why we don't live in Forks either. We _did _just move here from Arizona, and we _were_ with my mother, but we didn't get adopted. We just found that it was time to relocate. Again."

"Again?" Bella asked, catching the key word. I nodded. "And why did you say relocate instead of just move?"

"Because it isn't moving if you don't know how long you'll be there," I said truthfully. "Fang and I had hoped that we would be able to stay here for a while, but definitely not as long as Arizona. We just can't risk it."

"Risk what?" I could see that I had a _lot_ of explaining to do. I decided to just tell the entire story, from the beginning. I mean, I know it's weird that _me_, of _all_ people, would feel the need and the responsibility to tell these people/vampires about my life story, but hey, I feel somehow _close_ to them. It's like… it's like I feel _safe_ with them, and feeling safe is a completely new thing for me. _It's O.K. to feel safe sometimes Max, especially when you live the life you do._ Thanks for your words of wisdom Voice. I appreciate it… By the way, that was _sarcasm_ if you couldn't tell by the sound of my brain waves… _Just tell the story Max_. Yeah, whatever. Taking a deep breath, I began my insane life story.

"Ok, this might take a while. When me, Fang, and Iggy were fourteen, we lived with the kids in this house in the middle of nowhere. Jeb, who's apparently my father and I refuse to accept that, had disappeared years ago and we assumed he was dead. We were wrong, _so_ wrong. In fact, he was after us again.

"So there's this place in California, called the School. Think what you want, but it was most definitely _not_ a school you wanted to be in. It was a bunch of labs where they kept their experiments, a.k.a. me and the flock. We had previously lived in cages for our entire lives. Jeb had kidnapped us from the School, and brought us to the house where we were currently staying.

"We were totally unprepared for the group of Erasers (huge people that morphed into wolf-men. Very bad tempers, hard to kill) that had been sent, by Jeb, to capture Angel. They got her, Ari freaked me out, and we knew we couldn't stay there. Oh, Ari is my little brother, he was seven when we were taken from the School. Next time I saw him, he was a full grown, pain in the ass, Eraser. Head Eraser, actually. He told me that they, being the Erasers and the School, were the good guys. Threw me for a bit of a twist. Oh, and I didn't know Ari was my brother or that Jeb was my father until way later.

"So, Ari had Angel, I was ready to kill him, and we had no plan. Being me, I made a great plan to go to the School, sneak in, bust Angel out before they dissected her, and get the hell out of there. I know, great plan right? Yeah, we knew where the School was, we knew how to get there, but we had no clue how to safely get Angel out. I had to make a decision, and I made Iggy and Gazzy stay behind, on the off chance Angle escaped and went back. Too bad they blew up the house…"

I looked seriously at them all. "Never give them a bomb, or anything with which to _make_ a bomb. They _will_ set it off, and they _will_ have a great time doing it."

"I'll keep that in mind," Edward said, grinning. I knew they wouldn't take that seriously. Just wait, they'll be sorry when Gazzy and Iggy blow up half the forest. They _do_ have experience in that.

"Anyways, Gazzy and Iggy set off after us after a few days. I think around that time I was incapacitated with a bullet in my shoulder, but that is besides the point. I met my mother and half sister Ella, didn't know that was who they were, and I saved Ella's life. Those idiots shot me, my mom's a vet, which is helpful and extremely ironic, and she found a chip in my arm. You know, one of those ones that they put in extremely expensive pets? Yeah, in my arm.

"We couldn't get it out, so I left when my wing was healed. I met up with Fang, Nudge, and Gazzy and Iggy, who had joined them. We jacked a van, bad move, I know, and headed for the School. The Erasers found us, kicked my ass, and threw Fang, me, and Nudge in cages again. Iggy and Gazzy managed to escape before they were caught. Luckily, Angel was still alive, and that's when I found out that Jeb was alive as well."

It took the rest of the night to tell them my entire life story, up until now. When I mumbled the parts about me and Fang kissing, Alice and Bella laughed and clapped, while Edward just chuckled and shook his head. They were all upset when I told them about our temporary home with that woman, whose name I don't feel like remembering, and how she sold us out. And myself? I got angry when I had to retell the entire part that included _Dr. Brigid Dwyer_. Hate her. And the Red-Haired Wonder. Wanted to punch her.

When I finished, they were all silent. I didn't know what to say, so I just sat there quietly. Ok, so _I_ might be used to how insane my life is, but I'm sure it takes a while to get used to it from a listeners point of view. I went downstairs and ate Bella's dinner while they mulled it over. Hey, she said I could. _You did good telling them, Max. They can be very useful allies to your cause._ Ah, so we're back to my saving-the-world gig, are we. Well, I destroyed Itex already, what more can I do? _You can survive. _That _is your new goal. Survive Max, survive…_

I walked back into the room and was ambushed by two vampires and a human. Alice was jumping up and down excitedly, while Edward and Bella were cuddling on her bed. I narrowed my eyes, not sure what to expect. I should start to expect the unexpected when I'm here, seriously.

"So now that we know just how much your life sucks, why don't you here our story?" Edward said cheerfully. I raised a brow at him. _Be open minded Max_. For once, that was _not_ the Voice, it was my own mind speaking to me. Weird, right?

"We told you earlier that we're vampires. Now we're going to tell you how we all became vampires. Oh, and by the way, I'm seventeen, but I've been seventeen for around eighty or so years."

"Alright," I said, attempting to prepare myself. "Bring it on." I told them my story, so it's only fair that I hear theirs. Besides, knowing all this about them might come in handy later on. Yup, that's me! The ever-calculating eighteen-year-old bird chick.

They proceeded to tell me their stories, including Bella's involvement last year, up until Bella and I had to get ready for school. I know, school sounds like a complete waste of time after all this, but hey, we have an image to protect. Edward and Alice ended up driving us to school, so we heard more of the story then.

We all found it very amusing when the students all stared at me as I got out of Edwards Volvo. Mike almost came over to talk to Bella, or me, not sure which, but I guess he decided against it and walked away. Edward, Alice, and I heard him mutter 'why does Cullen always get the new girls' as he left. Ah, poor Mike.

"Max." We all turned. I bit my lip and looked away. I _did not_ want to talk to him right now. Apparently, Edward and Alice had the same thoughts, because Alice glared menacingly at him, and Edward suddenly looked more deadly and dangerous than I'd ever seen him. The two together made an awfully scary sight. It made me smile inside.

"Yeah… get out of my way pretty boy, I have to talk to her," Fang said, trying to push past Edward to get to me.

"No. She doesn't want to talk to you right now," Edward said, keeping himself between me and Fang. Bella had her arm protectively around my shoulders.

"I don't really care," Fang said, frustrated. "You can be her little 'body guard' all f-ing day. Whatever. But her and me? We have to talk. Now."

"Good luck with that," Alice said sweetly. Even in her tinkling voice it sounded frightening. Remind me never to get on a vampire's bad side.

"C'mon Max," he said, trying to persuade me to talk to him. _Not_ going to work! When I still refused to look at him, Fang got angry and swore. "Fine Max, be a baby. Stay with them for the rest of your life, _I don't care_. But don't come crying to me again. Ever."

He stalked away, pissed off as I'd ever seen him. What is _with_ his mood swings? I watched as he walked to a large group of kids and stopped next to a girl with short, almost white blonde hair. She looked up at him and flashed a big, flirty smile. I'll kill her. When Edward, Alice, Bella, and I walked past to get to class, they all stopped talking and looked at me. The blonde girl smirked and put her hand on Fang's arm. Yup, that's it, she's dead.

"Watch yourself Lauren," Alice said brightly, smiling like she hadn't just threatened a girl. The blonde, _Lauren_, took her hand off Fang and frowned at us. Yeah, I love these guys. Her eyes were a little wider than normal as Alice took a small step forward. Alice grinned and laughed, walking with us as we went into the school.

"Well that was… fun," Edward muttered, looking sharply at Alice. She shrugged and smiled away all traces of meanness.

"She's had it coming for a while," Alice said, laughing. "I was just waiting for an opportunity to freak her out."

"You are so evil Alice. It scares me sometimes," Edward said, chuckling. She grinned.

"I know."


	9. Well They DID Have Some Explaining to do

The rest of the day consisted of me being protected, which was a little weird for me, by Edward, Alice, and Bella. Occasionally, we used Angela and Mike as a shield when Fang walked by, talking animatedly and laughing. Ah, high school drama. You love it, but you hate it.

At lunch, I was herded by Alice to the table where she, Edward, Bella, and Angela sat with a few other people. I found out that the pretty brunette in my biology class was Jessica, and Angela's boyfriend Ben was in my P.E. class. Tyler wasn't in any of my classes, but he was nice enough. They all were. I did notice however, that Edward and Alice sat away from the others, not really too noticeably, but it was enough. So, they weren't accepted by this group. Interesting…

When school ended, Fang hadn't tried to talk to me again, but he _had_ made more moves on Lauren in front of me. That little… Bella had to practically drag me away before I punched her and then kicked his ass. If he was getting at something, using Lauren, it was working, because I wanted to kill him, and seriously maim her._ Violence is not the answer Maximum, for once in your life._ Yeah, I probably won't listen to that little comment… I caught myself smiling evilly before anyone else did, thankfully. No way did I want to have to explain my little Voice.

"Let's go," Bella said, leading me to Edwards' car. He and Alice were already waiting for us there. I got in, and with one last look at Fang, shut the door.

As we drove by, Fang met my eyes through the glass of the car window. I know, I should be mad at him, but he's my best friend. It's hard. So when I saw sadness in his eyes, I almost cried, but not quite. Then Lauren grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and kissed him full on the lips. His arms went to her waist. My mouth dropped open. I faintly heard Edward swear from the seat in front of me. The car suddenly sped up, and Fang and Lauren disappeared.

I couldn't believe it. He… he had just _kissed her_. I don't remember the rest of the car ride to Bella's house and I don't remember going into the house or up the stairs, or even sitting on her bed, but I was there. My mind was whirring as I thought about Fang. All that we'd gone through together… and he was just going to throw it away, like it had never happened. And with _her_ nonetheless.

"Max?" Bella said carefully. I looked up at her, only a little surprised to see that I was lying on her bed with her, Edward, and Alice sitting around me.

"Max, are you ok?" Alice asked, putting her cold hand on my forehead. She pushed my hair back from my face and peered into my eyes. She looked over at Edward and he nodded. I closed my eyes, and then I felt myself being lifted off the bed. I felt like I was flying, sort of.

I opened one eye a crack and saw that we were running faster than I'd thought possible through the forest behind Bella's house. We stopped suddenly and there was the Cullen's giant home in front of me. Edward carried me through the already open front door and lay me on the couch.

Alice sat on the floor beside my head, her lips moving so fast I couldn't hear what she was saying. Then Jasper was there beside her, standing with his hand on her shoulder. I felt a wave of calm happiness wash over me. I shut my eyes tight and tried to force him out of my head.

"I don't want to feel better," I groaned angrily and pitifully. The happiness pushed harder and my problems started to disappear.

"What happened to _you_?" Emmet said, coming into the room. Edward glared at him. His lips started moving just as quick as Alices' had and Emmet became somber. "What a loser."

"Who's a loser?" Rosalie asked, joining us. She took one look at me and stopped. "What'd that mutt do now?" She looked furious. I was touched. Apparently, Rosalie didn't like Bella very much, but she didn't seem to have a problem with me… _That's because you have nothing she wants Maximum._ Whaat? Did I just get an answer from the _Voice_? _No, you did not. That was a clarification_. Ah, I see.

"Not him. Fang, her best friend slash boyfriend, got touchy today and was pissed at her. She saw him making out with Lauren after school," Alice said. Rosalie frowned.

"Loser. Want me to break his arm?" I managed a small smile. _See_…

"Nah, thanks though," I said. I pushed myself up, propping my back against the arm of the white couch.

"How about this: Lauren suddenly disappears?" Emmet offered. Alice and I laughed. I shook my head.

"No, that's not a good idea. If she vanishes, we would be the first suspects. I can't have the police snooping around my life," I said reasonably. Emmet frowned but let it go.

"So what's the plan?" Rosalie asked. I was surprised that they cared at all. None of them knows me, or anything about me. I realized they weren't talking about me anymore. They were discussing hunting parties.

"I think it would be best if you, Emmet, and Alice went now," Jasper said. "Edward, Carlisle, Esme, and I will go when you get home."

"Sounds good. Let's go," Emmet said, taking Rosalie's hand in his like I know he had been wishing for a the past few minutes. Don't let anyone ever tell you Maximum Ride in unperceptive... They ran out the door, Alice right on their heels.

"What are you thinking Max?" Edward said from behind the couch. I looked surprisingly up at him.

"I thought you could read minds?" I said, confused. Jasper and Bella looked just as confused as I was.

"Yeah, but for some reason I can't read yours. It's just as frustrating as Bella is," he said, looking lovingly at Bella. She smiled.

"Well, I was just thinking that I'm going to brutally murder a few wolves around here, Lauren, and Fang," I said, trying to be cheerful. It was silent for a few seconds before Jasper and Edward burst out laughing. Bella looked a little worried, but she smiled.

"Sounds good to me," Jasper said, still chuckling. "Those mongrels have gotten a little too high and mighty for my taste."

"Oh hush Jasper," Bella chastised firmly. I raised a brow.

"Jacob is Bella's _best friend_," Edward said tightly, his face stormy.

"And whose fault is that?" she retorted. I felt like they'd had this fight more than once.

"I was trying to do what I thought was best for you," he said firmly. She snorted.

"Oh please. You've tried to explain that before, and it still doesn't make sense to me. How is leaving me here in my best interest? I—"

She didn't get to finish. I heard a car pull up and stop, the engine turning off. By the quiet hum of the car, I knew it was a nice car. I needed to get Alice to let me drive one of those babies soon.

"Edward," Esme said, sounding surprised. She and Carlisle looked between Edward and Bella. Bella had her arms crossed, her face stern. Edward looked pissed, and I can understand why.

"Max," Esme said, noticing me, the surprise in her voice rising. "Would someone like to explain?"

I waited patiently while Edward talked impossibly fast. Esme and Carlisle nodded occasionally. Apparently, when a _vampire_ told my story, it took about ten minutes. Lucky.

"Well, it sounds like you've had a very… trying life," Carlisle said when Edward had finished telling my life story. I smiled wryly.

"Sounds about right," I agreed. He smiled.

"If I may," he started, sounding a little embarrassed. "Would you mind showing me your wings?"

"Not at all," I said, standing. I was wearing the same clothes that I had gone running in yesterday, not having been able to change. My wings unfurled, slipping through the slits in my tank top. I love Velcro. It's very handy for things like this.

My wingspan has grown to a good fifteen feet, so I had to move away from them and into the center of the room. Fully extended, I ruffled the feathers, stretching a little. They hadn't been out since yesterday.

Carlisle looked amazed as he circled me. Edward and Bella had sat down on the couch and they were both smiling at me. Esme looked appreciative and blissful as she took in my wings. I take it they like me. Good, good. Because I might be sticking around for a while…

"Well Max, I'm am very intrigued," Carlisle said at last. I smiled and pulled my wings in. "I think I'm going to go make a few calls, and I will see you soon."

"Calls about what?" I asked quickly, nervous already. Carlisle paused.

"With your permission, of course, I would like to invite a few friends over to… discuss the issue at hand."

"I would prefer you didn't tell them anything that could compromise my time here," I said. "I would really appreciate not having to be on the run anymore."

Carlisle smiled and bowed. "Of course. I will say nothing that you would not want to tell them yourself."

"Thank you." I smiled as they left the room. "Hey Edward, I have a question for you."

"Sure Max. What's up?"

"Please don't take this the wrong way or anything, but I was just wondering why you have all been helping me and stuff. Not to mention you guys told me about your family, and Jacob and Sam told me about them. I've been here for, what? Three days? I've only known you guys for two. It just doesn't make sense to me. You have to understand, I, understandably, have trust issues."

Edward and Bella smiled at each other, then at me. Edward came and sat on the couch beside me, with Bella on the other side of him.

"Max, you know how I said I can't read your mind?" I nodded, not sure what he was getting at. "You remind me so much of my Bella, not personality wise, of course, but the way you feel to me."

I'm not sure about them, but this was getting awkward, fast. _Just hear them out Max._ Thank you Voice, that was very… obvious.

"You smell different than other humans, your brain rejects me, you even have a different look than other humans. For example, Mike Newton's skin is bumpy and holey to vampires because we can see his pores and the microscopic wrinkles on his skin. Bella is the same. You, on the other hand, your skin is perfectly smooth, even to me. The way your mind keeps me out, even that's different from Bella. Hers is just like if I can't see her, I don't know she's there. It's like an empty space. Yours', I know you're there, but I still can't read it. It's like there's a huge barrier around your mind. I can _see_ it just as well as I can see anyone else's, but while theirs is like a mini movie theater, your mind is a closed, sealed box. Now for your smell. Bella's fragrance is slightly floral. Other humans all have the under-taste, excuse my wording, of metal, which would be their blood. Your blood smells different than anything I have ever encountered before."

"I should think so. Unless you've come across other mutant bird kids, I would say yeah, obviously."

"No, it's not your mutant traits that make you so different, because Fang and Iggy smell almost normal, and I can read their minds, for the most part. Instead of complete clarity, I catch fragments and little snatches of thoughts. You, nothing. But back to your smell. I don't know if this makes sense to you, but you have the distinct smell of _air_." I grinned. "I can't put my finger on the rest of it, but if you know what I mean, it should make some sense."

"No, I get it. It's like how snow has a smell, but it doesn't. Like how the air after it rains smells different than the air on a sunny day."

"Exactly," Edward said, beaming at my ability to understand all of this.

"But this still doesn't explain _why_ you've all been so… open," I pointed out.

"Yes, but it contributes greatly. Because of your adequate differences from the rest of the current population, you stuck out. Alice and I were, naturally, curious. You're immediate liking to Bella just made things simpler. I hadn't planned on revealing all of us so quickly, but circumstances were against me."

"I'll say," Bella said. "It was practically deja-vu for me that day in Port Angeles. Oh, I guess that was yesterday, wasn't it?" I nodded. "The circumstances were similar to when Edward told me last year about his existence. Even the same table at the restaurant. The only switch was that Jacob and Sam intervened and told you about them so soon. Why is that?"

"The first day I moved here, Jacob almost hit me with his car. I suppose I gave him reason to think I was different from other people, but not _that_ much. I was on First Beach and I heard a noise in the forest, and since I was in a terrible mood, I went to check it out. It was Jacob as a giant wolf. I guess I tipped him off, since I heard him in the first place, but whatever. Then later I was running, faster than humanly possible, and he caught me. That's when he shifted and almost gave me a heart attack."

"Yes, well Jacob does have his… odd methods," Edward commented dryly. I smirked.

"You can say that again. He practically broke all the bones in my chest. His paws are _heavy_. I woke up in Sams' house I think, they told me what was up, I flipped out, punched Jacob in the face, they were amazed that it hurt, and I bolted."

"Whoa, back up for a second," Bella said, holding up her hands. "Your punch hurt Jacob?"

"Yeah… Why, is that weird?" I had no idea what was so strange about that.

"Uhmm, yeah, when _I_ punched him, it broke my hand. And it didn't hurt him at all. Werewolves are like indestructible, except to vampires obviously."

"Huh, that's weird," I murmured. "Probably because of my freaky bones and stuff."

"Possibly." Edward thought it over for a second but then I guess he dismissed it. "So do you understand now?" I smiled.

"Yeah. And thanks. For everything."

"No problem Max, really," Bella said. She checked her watch. "We should probably be heading home soon."

"I can't go back to your house," I said. Bella stopped.

"Why not?" she asked, thoroughly confused.

"It might tip off your dad that something is up with me. No need for him to go poking around in my business," I pointed out. She nodded.

"Max, you are welcome to stay here," Edward said. I shook my head.

"No, I couldn't do that, really. I'm used to sleeping outdoors. I'll be fine." I got up and was heading for the door when it opened.

"You aren't going _anywhere_," Alice said as she, Emmet, and Rosalie walked through the door, dragging me back to the couch. I groaned, but it wasn't too serious. "You are staying here until we have this sorted out."

"But Alice, I can't impose on you guys."

"Carlisle, it's not a problem, is it?" she asked.

"No, not at all," he answered, coming down the stairs, Esme right behind him. I think they were moving slowly more for Bella's benefit than mine.

"Then it's settled. You'll stay in Edwards room. I'll tell you later," she said quietly when I raised a brow. I nodded and looked at everyone.

"Thank you, really. This means a lot to me."

"No problem, now we can see about the little issue of you not being intimidated by me," Emmet said. I grinned.

"Bring it on." Everyone laughed. I was glad that the sober, unhappy mood of earlier today had been wiped away.

"Well, Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, I think it's time for us to go," Edward said, rising from the couch. Bella got up and said goodbye to us all, walking out the front door with the rest of them. I heard her truck start, which was a little weird since we didn't even bring it here.

"How did…?" I started. Alice laughed.

"On my way back I dropped by and picked it up."

"Ah, I see."

"Ok, so let's go get you set up for tonight." Alice grabbed my hand and ran upstairs with me. "It's fun to run with you!" she said, laughing. I laughed with her. I imagine it _was_ different from running with vampires or humans, or werewolves for that matter.

"So, this is where you'll be staying," she said, opening the door to a room. On entire wall was glass, while the rest of it was covered it gold rug. I'm guessing it's for good acoustics. That's what Fang did at Dr. Martinez's house. There were a _lot_ of CD's in here. I didn't see a bed, but there was a nice black, comfortable looking couch.

"I can sleep on the couch, right?" I asked, not sure if it was like a priceless relic or something. Not that it looked like it. It was leather for cryin out loud.

"Yeah, we don't have time to get you a bed."

"No, that's fine. I don't need one, trust me." I grinned. "I've slept on much worse. Try a cage one size too small. Or a tank. Either way, the couch will be just fine."

"Great! C'mon, you have to come shopping with me and Rosalie." I frowned. Shopping isn't really my thing. "Oh, it'll be fun, trust me."

"With you, I'm sure it will be." I sighed, over-exaggerating. She stuck her tongue out and went to the door. "I'll come anyways. I suppose I can live through one day of shopping with you and Rosalie."

"Good. And don't think it will just be one day," she said, grinning slyly. I groaned and followed her back down the stairs.

Rosalie joined us in the garage. I have to admit, it was possible I was drooling a little while looking at all those beautiful cars. She smiled appreciatively and tossed me car keys. I didn't know which car they went to. At the least, I was hoping for her red convertible. It was not to be. When I unlocked the car, the silver Aston Martin beeped. My jaw dropped.

"C'mon Max, pick your mouth up off the floor and drive us to the mall," Alice said, laughing hysterically at my expression. I don't care, that car is _amazing_. I cannot believe they are letting me _drive_ it.

I got slowly behind the wheel, appreciating everything from the incredible seats to the complicated dashboard. I ran my hands over the wheel and the shift. This is going to be so ridiculously awesome.

"Max, can you actually start the car now?" Rosalie asked, her lips pulling up in a smile. I nodded wordlessly and turned the key in the ignition. My jaw dropped once more at the smooth purr of the engine coming to life. It roared once and settled quickly into a nice, comfortable hum.


	10. Shopping? That Word Sounds Odd to me

They entire way there, I drove wordlessly, enjoying this as much as I could. Rosalie and Alice gave me directions to the nearest mall, which was not, of course, in Forks. It was cloudy, so we had the windows rolled down. I know _I_ enjoyed the jealous looks from passerbies, but I'm sure they did too. This was a _nice_ car, no doubt about it.

Once at the mall, we headed straight for the clothing stores. Alice insisted on buying me an entire new wardrobe. She said that while I lived in her house, I would wear clothes that she had approved and paid for. I didn't argue. Hey, why look a free shopping trip in the mouth? Besides, what else would she do with all that cash?

When all of our arms were covered in shopping bags, we went to the hair stylist Rosalie recommended. I protested, saying it would just be ruined the next time I went flying, but they would hear none of it. Alice was persistent in my new make-over.

I felt a little uncomfortable in the chair of Rosalie's hairdresser, my hair dripping and being prepared to be cut. We had already died my hair brown and put blonde highlights in it. It was like my natural colors, just more pronounced.

"Ooh Max, it looks great already!" Alice gushed. I smiled nervously as the woman with the sharp scissors near my head began cutting and trimming my hair.

I closed my eyes and relaxed while she fixed up my hair. I could hear Alice and Rosalie behind me oohing and aahing exaggeratedly. I was a little anxious, but not too much. Alice had style, no doubt, but Rosalie was just oozing with fashion sense. They were definitely the best people to shop with, even for someone like me who doesn't usually enjoy shopping.

"All done," the woman said, swiveling my chair around so I could look in the mirror.

I was amazed. I really, truly, honestly was. I felt like I was looking at another person entirely. Sure, she had my face, but her hair was darker, with light streaks running through it. Her hair was straight, but it had volume and flowed down in layers.

I ran my fingers through it, not really believing that it was me. After all, a girl's hair is a good part of her over-all-image. Sucks, but it's true.

"Do you like it?" Alice asked, a little nervous when I didn't say anything. I looked up at her and grinned.

"I _love it_," I said, and I really meant it. Rosalie and Alice slapped high fives and pulled me out of the chair and out of the salon.

"Alright, now for the face," Rosalie said, leading me into a huge department store. I gulped and looked frightened. She and Alice laughed at my expense as we wound our way through the store.

"Here, sit," Alice ordered, pushing me lightly into a make-up chair in front of a booth selling a _ton_ of cosmetics.

"Leslie, if you would just work with her, we'll see how it goes," Rosalie said lightly to the girl behind the counter. She nodded quickly but didn't respond. I wouldn't' either. Rosalie, at a cosmetics counter? Intimidating for anyone who needs make-up to look pretty.

"Now Max, just sit back, do what Leslie tells you, and _relax_, wearing some make-up won't kill you." Rosalie winked. "You know what would," she whispered. The three of us laughed at our disturbing inside joke.

While Leslie put the make-up on me, I wanted to blink, but one look from Alice warned me not to. It was excruciatingly… awkward. I just sat there in the middle of a department store while random people walked by, occasionally stopping or slowing to watch. I hated every minute of it.

When Leslie was done primping me, I stood up and faced them. Alice laughed and clapped excitedly while Rosalie grinned and began picking out bottle and jars of the make-up Leslie had used on me. I looked in the mirror, a little afraid. I shouldn't have been. I looked _good_. _See Max, you _can_ enjoy yourself in ways you were not aware of._

The eyeliner accented the green and blue in my eyes, making the colors really pop. The foundation and blush made my skin clear and smoother looking than normal. She had done some other things with mascara, lip gloss, and eye-shadow that just topped everything off.

"Max, you look _amazing_," Alice gushed. I blushed and let her lead me out of the mall. We had gotten a few guys to carry our bags behind us while we walked to our car. We didn't even have to pay them. They just like the attention they got from us. I loved my new-found power, I am extremely guilty to say. I said as much when we got back into the car.

"Max, you have nothing to be ashamed of," Rosalie said simply. "Being beautiful gives you power. It's not a crime to enjoy having power." Alice grinned.

"If it was, Rose would've been arrested a _long_ time ago," she said, giggling. We all laughed and talked about our trip to the mall the whole way home.

"So how was it?" Esme asked when we walked, laughing, through the front door. "Max! Wow, you look great!" I blushed and mumbled thanks.

"We gave her a complete make-over," Alice said, smiling as brightly as if she said she had just won the Nobel Prize.

"I can see that," Esme said appreciatively. "You looked beautiful before Max, but this just makes you stand out and really pop." I smiled, grateful for that comment.

"Thanks Esme."

"My pleasure dear." Esme smiled one last time before getting up and going into the kitchen. "I hope you like chicken Max," she called over her shoulder.

"Yeah, chicken's great. Thanks," I replied.

"C'mere Max," Alice said from the door. "We need to bring all this stuff inside. It's gunna start raining in a few minutes."

"How can you tell?" I asked, looking up at the clouds. It looked as if the clouds might just blow over us.

"Psychic, remember?" she said, laughing. I blushed, grinning, and helped unload the bags. Obviously, they didn't really need my help, but it gave us a chance to get everything set up upstairs together.

Just as Alice predicted, the rain began just as we had gotten everything upstairs to her room. I laughed and shook my head. Boy, would _she_ have been useful when the flock had nowhere to stay. We could have at least found a place out of the rain. Ah well, what can you do?

The next twenty minutes was spent clearing a space in Alice's ginormous closet for my clothes. The eight bags full of clothing didn't even take up an entire eighth of her closet. It was overwhelming to say the least.

They chose one of the outfits for me to wear for the rest of the night. Oh, they had also bought a bag full of sleep wear. Not all of those, most of them actually, weren't suitable for a comfortable, _warm_ sleep, if you catch my drift. I blushed, but they were cute, so I didn't complain. I was told, ordered to be exact, to wear one of the scantier black pieces to bed tonight. No idea why, but I planned on just doing what Alice says. Things go easier when you do.

When we had everything perfect, meaning my hair was in perfect order, my make-up was neat, and I had on the dark blue jeans and white baby tee that they had chosen, they escorted me downstairs. The rest of the Cullen's were situated in the living room, so I was a little embarrassed when Rosalie and Alice rushed down the stairs ahead of me.

Rosalie slyly nudged Emmett, more like punched him with her elbow actually, and he catcalled and whistled. I laughed when Jasper and Edward pretended to be mesmerized. We had a good time with it, surprisingly, and I felt right at home with them. I was really starting to love this place.

After I ate dinner, we played a rousing game of Go Fish. Alice cheated, Edward cheated, Rosalie cheated by forcing Emmett to show his cards to her, causing Emmett himself to cheat, and Jasper cheated by making us feel that the card we had called him out for was the wrong card. Damn cheating vampires. I am sure Esme, Carlisle, and myself were the only honest players there. Not surprised, actually.

It was all in good, fun though. Besides, the guys wrestled each other every time one of them cheated, which was often. It was funny to watch. Emmett would grab Jasper by the head and twist him around, forcing him to reach out and punch Edward in the stomach. It was hilarious, and Alice, Rosalie, Carlisle, Esme and I were on the floor laughing by eleven.

Abruptly, Alice held up a hand. I felt like shutting-up was a good idea, and I was right. She just smiled though and pointed to the stairs. I pouted, not interested in going to sleep just yet. I was having such a good time with her family.

"Go," she said forcefully. I stuck my tongue out and made a big show of stomping up the stairs. Emmett's loud, boisterous laughter followed me all the way up to Edward's room.

I reached Edward's room and found a blanket and a pillow on the couch. Taking the lingerie out of its' bag, I slipped it on. I felt a little ridiculous in it, since it wasn't even that warm, but Alice had insisted.

I opened the window, not liking the silence caused by the absence of the wind. Actually, the window was really a large pane of the glass wall almost as large as a door. I sighed, content at last and lay down on the couch, pulling the blanket up to my chin. I had too many thoughts rolling around in my head now, but I somehow managed to fall asleep anyways.


	11. The Beginning of the End

**A/N:**

**So this is possibly the last chapter of my story... i said 'possibly' because it's just an optional chapter. I want you guys to read and review and tell me what you think about it. If i don't get enough comments (and not just 'i luv it!') and thoughts about this chapter, it _will_ be the last chapter. **

**My point is, should i do Fax or Jax? i like Fax, but it's so common i'm not sure if i want to stick with it... and Jacob is so cute :) i just watched New Moon, and he was _adorable_ in the movie, so i wanted to put some of that cuteness in my story. So i'm currently writing another chapter 11, but in this one, Jacob and Max start to become friends, and then they begin to like each other. You'll have to wait to see why they become friends after i finish it haha :) thanks for your help peoples, i really appreciate it!**

When you wake up at the slightest noise like I did, you _know_ you're wound a little tight.

A light tap on one of the glass panes woke me. I opened my eyes and silently cursed wearing lingerie. I also realized that I had forgotten to wash the make-up off before going to bed, so I'm sure I would look weird while fighting someone with this make-up and black lingerie. Oh well.

A tall, dark figure entered the room through the open window. I coiled my body, prepared to spring as soon as they were in range. When the figure moved to stand beside the couch where I was 'sleeping', I shoved the blanket back and leapt at them. My momentum knocked us to the ground, me straddling the person, my hands pressing their shoulders roughly to the floor.

"What the?" My eyes went wide and I opened my mouth, but I couldn't find the right words to say.

I got up quickly, taking a few steps back, attempting to put a little distance between us. I folded my arms and frowned at him. He peered closely at me. I'm sure he didn't recognize me easily. Screw him.

"_Max_?" Fang sounded astounded.

"What do you want Fang?" I snapped. "I was sleeping."

"In _that_? Max, what are you _wearing_?" His jaw dropped, making me feel intensely awkward as he stared at me. "Did you get your hair done? Is that _make-up_?"

"Lingerie. What? Wasn't _Lauren_ wearing lingerie when you left her five minutes ago?" I sneered. "And yes, I did get my hair done, and yes, I _am_ wearing make-up. And by the way, I don't give a damn what you think about it." I turned my back to him, glad he couldn't see in the dark that the shorts on the lingerie one, didn't cover my whole butt, and two, were a _little_ sheer.

"I think you look beautiful," Fang said softly. I froze. _What?_ Turning slowly, I saw that he had his hands in his pocket and his head was hung. He was obviously ashamed about something. Well… good…

"What did you say?" I asked, not able to raise my voice louder than a whisper.

He looked up at me, meeting my eyes in the darkness. "I said you look beautiful Max. You always have. You always will." I felt my mouth open in surprise, but no words came out. He didn't give me a chance to speak.

Fang closed the short distance between us in a few strides. He wrapped me up in his arms, holding me close to him. I was oddly grateful that my mascara was waterproof, because I started crying. I know, I know, stupid thing to worry about. He held me close, not giving me much space to do anything more than breathe.

"Max, I am _so_ sorry," he murmured into my hair. I answered by pressing my face into the hollow of his neck. He just held me in his arms. I like how they felt around me, like I was _meant_ to be in them for always. It made me feel good.

"I didn't mean to hurt you, I swear," he said, holding me back and looking into my eyes. "I just… I couldn't handle it all Max."

"Couldn't handle what? Being there for me? Being my best friend?" I asked softly.

"No. Being with you and not being able to be _with_ you." I looked at him, surprised. "You were always there, but I knew I couldn't have you."

"Why would you think that?" I whispered, barely audible. He heard me.

"What do you mean?" he asked, sounding very surprised.

"Why would you think that you couldn't have me?" I said, only a little louder this time. He still heard it.

"You're not seriously saying that all this time I could have…" He swore fluently. "I am an _idiot_."

"Only a little," I said. "Actually, a lot." Fang smiled, making me all warm and fuzzy inside. Weird…

"So… about _Lauren.._," I said, practically spitting her name.

"Yeah… about that…" he said, blushing. Hmm, Fang _blushed_. "That was a _huge_ mistake."

"You're telling _me_." He tweaked my nose playfully.

"I wanted you to be… jealous," he said, sounding _very_ ashamed. "I guess it worked better than I thought."

"I wanted to kill her," I said cheerfully. A small smile crept onto his lips.

"She asked me to go to the movies with her tonight. With just her."

"Well, now I think I _will_ kill her," I said, no less cheerful. He shook his head.

"No, it isn't really _all_ her fault. It was mostly mine." I raised a brow at him. "I remembered how you'd said that all the girls were looking at me that first day, so I used that, I am ashamed to say, to my advantage. I flirted, though it didn't take much. She noticed that we were in a fight, and being the catty, annoying, bratty, shallow girl she is, Lauren used that to _her_ advantage."

"Yeah, I guess that's just how she is," I said. I still had a few questions and things that needed clearing up before I could completely trust him again.

"Yeah, I figured that out." He ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry about the kiss you saw. I didn't mean for it to go _that_ far. She just decided that she would take advantage of _me._"

"I saw you put your hands on her hips," I whispered, looking down. He put his hand under my chin and lifted my eyes to meet his.

"Max, I was pushing her away. You would have seen that if _Edward_ hadn't ripped out of there so fast."

"What, jealous of _Edward_?" I said mockingly. He looked down and nodded. I laughed softly. "Don't be. He's Bella's, and my _friend_. That's it, just my friend."

"Yeah, but we were just _friends_ not too long ago," he said.

"Fang," I whispered. "We were never just _friends_. We were always something more. We just hadn't quite figured it out yet."

His eyes lit up as he looked at me. "Well I've figured it out now."

"Thank you for letting me know that," I said wryly. "Took you long enough."

"Sorry," he murmured just before kissing me.

Yeah, Fang and I had kissed before, but that was when we were like fourteen. It was _much_ different now. It was so much more… passionate and sweet. I absolutely loved it.

Fang slipped his hands down from just under my shoulders to lie on my waist. I slid my hands up his chest and wrapped them around his neck, deepening the kiss considerably. When I started to feel light-headed and faint, I realized that we hadn't allowed our lips to part to even take single breath.

"Well that was… amazing," I breathed. He smiled.

"Yeah, much better than I'd hoped." I raised my eyebrows at him.

"What you thought I'd suck at kissing since I haven't had experience outside of you and that brat?" I asked, trying to step out of his arms. His grip on me tightened and didn't give an inch when I pushed.

"No, actually I thought I'd be extremely lucky if I even got to this point," he said truthfully. "I… You looked pretty pissed."

"Yeah, I was." I sighed, not pleased that I had to bring this up again. "And you still have some explaining to do." He actually looked _surprised_.

"What do you mean?" He had the gall to smile at me and lean towards my lips again. "I thought we were past all that."

"No," I said, pushing his face away firmly. "Just because I consented to making out with you does _not_ mean I forgive you."

"First of all, what was with your freakin _mood swings_? You scared the absolute shit outta me." I looked down, my eyes watering as I remembered our fights from the past few days. "You… I didn't know what to think Fang. I thought you had finally had enough of me and you were trying desperately to get rid of me."

"What? Why would you _ever_ think I was trying to get rid of you?"

"Uhm, excuse me, would you care to recall how you called me a terrible leader and saying we wouldn't last long here because of how much I'd changed over the past few years?"

"But Max, you _did_ end up telling people about us," he pointed out softly, not realizing the error of his words until it was much too late. "Max, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that," he said quickly, trying to make amends in a rush.

"I'm sorry if saving my ass and Bella's wasn't enough of a reason to make a mistake," I snapped, wrenching myself out of his arms. "You think I _meant_ to let that happen? You think I _wanted_ you to flip out at me, making me scared out of my mind? Fang, you _kicked me out of my house_. I had reason to believe that you were through with me. What the hell was I supposed to do, huh? You tell me what I was supposed to do."

I knew I should keep my voice down, but like old times, Fang had something about him that never failed to piss me off. His brows pulled together and he frowned at me.

"I'm sorry, alright? I overreacted." I knew he was trying to calm me down, but he was doing a piss poor job of it.

"_Overreacted? _You _overreacted_?" I was practically shouting. "No, don't you shush me! Fang, you didn't just _overreact_, you went _insane_. Do you even understand how freaked out I was? You looked like you wanted to _kill_ me! Fang, throughout my entire life, I have _never_ been so afraid for my own life than when you told me to get out."

"Ok, ok! I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It didn't do that much harm though, if you think of it," he said. I threw my hands up, exasperated beyond belief.

"_It didn't do that much harm?_ Fang, I thought I had _lost you_. All of you. I was…" I closed my eyes. When I spoke again, it was much softer and the tears welled up again. "I was ready to… to just let go of it all. I was done. How the hell do you think Quil had even been able to get his arms around my neck? I goddamn forced him to! You went psycho! I was done trying Fang." I looked up at him. He was _smiling_!

"I didn't think you cared that much about me," he said, chuckling softly. I smacked him.

"Of course I care about you, you _idiot!_" I was furious at this point. How _dare_ he think I didn't care!

"I'm sorry!" He held his hands up, the smile gone from his face. "I just don't like thinking about you like… that." He sighed and looked into my eyes. "I can't lose you Max, _ever_. The thought of you… trying to _kill_ yourself because of what I said… It's just _unbearable_."

"Well why the hell did you say it then?" I asked, getting riled up again. He held my face roughly, keeping my eyes locked onto his.

"Because I couldn't control my goddamn emotions around you Max!" he yelled. "You confuse the hell out of me, and I couldn't take not being able to tell you how I felt Max! I just snapped, and I had to get you away from me until I figured out how to straighten my thoughts and think straight again."

"So you could have just sent me away for a while! You made me think that I was disposable Fang! You didn't have to go psycho-killer and make me think I meant nothing! Meant nothing to you!"

"You've always meant something to me Max! Always! And like I said, I couldn't take the pressure of being around you for one more second!"

"Oh, that makes _perfect_ sense!" I snapped. "Yeah, I mean _so_ much to you, so you kick me out of my own damn home!"

"It made sense at the moment, ok! I told you, I couldn't think straight, so everything made sense, and nothing made sense!" I took a deep breath, then another, then a few more. I was eventually calm enough to look at him again.

"Can you at least tell me why it took you so long to come after me?" I said, trying as hard as I could to stay calm. He had better have a damn good answer.

"I… I didn't know what to say." I frowned. That was _not_ what I was looking for. "What I mean is," he said, backpedaling quickly. "I had to think of some way to make you listen to me. Some way to make you believe me, and then finally, and if I was lucky, some way to make you forgive me."

"Well, one down," I said.

"Jeez Max, you're _harsh_." Fang and I looked quickly at the doorway. Alice was leaning against the doorframe, flanked by Rosalie, Jasper, Emmett, and Edward. Well damn. How much did they hear?

"Alice! What…? What the hell are you…? How much have you…?" I couldn't quite make myself finish any of the questions I had going through my mind at that second.

"Don't worry, I haven't heard _that_ much." She grinned. "Not that I couldn't hear you two from the living room. Is it really necessary to yell? I mean really Max, would you two just kiss and make up already?" When we both blushed, remembering our kiss, Alice grinned. "Although, I have a very inept feeling that you've already done _part_ of that. Am I right? Of course I am."

"Well? Get to it," Rosalie said, waving a hand as if she decided when we continued. I had a bad feeling that they didn't plan on leaving any time soon. Of course, I was correct.

"Dude, you just grab her, like this," Emmett said, taking Rosalie in his arms. She laughed when he bent her over. "Then you lean in and kiss her. It's not hard, trust me."

"I got this man, thanks," Fang said, his face red even in the dark. I had to hide my smile behind my hand while Emmett kissed Rosalie, making Fang redden even more. I guess he just isn't used to how sexual those two are yet.

"Hey, dude, I think we should clear out," Jasper said to Emmett. Emmett didn't break his kiss with Rosalie, he just lifted her into his arms and carried her down the hall. Jasper and Edward, shaking their heads and laughing, followed soon after. Only Alice stayed a few moments more.

"Don't let her slip away Fang, trust me, you'll regret it every moment of your life if you do," was all she said before walking away, closing the door behind her.

"Well that was… interesting," Fang commented quietly, meeting my gaze. I smiled wryly.

"You'll get used to it," I assured him, patting his cheek. He caught my hand and held it against his cheek.

"I will, will I?" he murmured.

"I sure hope so, because I don't plan on leaving here any time soon."

"Good, because neither do I," he whispered.

"Good. Great. C'mere," I said. I grabbed the front of his t-shirt and pulled him roughly to me. He looked surprised, until I lightened up and smiled warmly up at him.

"Here I am," he said huskily.

"Good. Because here is where you will stay, understand?" I said, my face right below his, our lips scant inches apart.

"I can handle that."

"You better."

This kiss was even _better_ than the last, if that's possible. Our bodies seemed to fit together like they were made that way. I like to think that they were.

I felt myself being lifted slightly off the ground, and I understood why when my back was suddenly pressed up against the couch. I turned my body so that I was lying across the couch. Thank _God_ Edward had a really long couch.

Fang raised a brow when I pulled away and started lifting his black t-shirt up over his muscled chest. I just rolled my eyes.

"Oh, get over here," I said.

"Gladly."

The next morning, Fang and I woke up in each other's arms. My back was to the back of the leather couch, my head on Fang's chest. He had his right arm around me, my right arm slung over his stomach. I noticed wryly as I looked groggily around that his feet were up on the arm at the other end of the couch.

"Hey," Fang said softly. I looked at him and smiled. He looked down, peeking under the blanket. I blushed and pulled it around me. "Oh, so _now_ you want to be distant. Typical."

"No, not _distant_, just not as… open as I was last night," I replied.

He didn't get a chance to answer since Emmett walked in then. He looked at us silently for a few seconds. Then his face broke and he grinned, laughing loudly. I blushed and hid my face in Fang's chest.

"Nice, nice." He had to lean against the doorframe, which looked dangerously like bending under his hand. "Anyways, Alice told me to come up here and get you two ready for school. I'm sure you'll be tired today," he said cheerfully, grinning from ear to ear.

"Ughh," I groaned, rubbing my eyes with the backs of my hands when Emmett left. "School has never sounded so bad before in my life."

"Yeah, that _is_ true," he agreed lightly. "But just think of the bright side. Lauren can screw off now." I grinned.

"That _is_ a bright side," I said, giggling. "Well, I better go get dressed."

Fang let go of me reluctantly, _very_ reluctantly. I got up slowly, keeping the blanket wrapped around me. In this light, the lingerie was going to be _very_ sheer. Doesn't even matter that it's black.

I walked cautiously to Alice's room across the hall. There was a bed, which I just noticed. I wondered what it was for, since they didn't sleep, until I thought about what Fang and I had been extremely close to doing last night. Yeah, probably need a bed for that…

I grabbed one of the outfits we had bought yesterday at the mall and hopped into the shower in her extremely large bathroom. The hot water felt _so_ good on my skin and it soothed my muscles. When I stepped out, wrapped securely in a large towel, I felt so much better.

Slipping the outfit on, I brushed and blow-dried my hair straight. I put on a little mascara, eye shadow, blush, and eyeliner last, not wanting it to melt or anything weird under the hot hair dryer.

When I felt ready, or in other words, when I felt like Alice and Rosalie would approve, I went downstairs. I could smell the delicious smell of bacon and eggs from the bottom of the stairs. Rushing into the kitchen, I saw Fang already sitting at the table, a plate heaped with food in front of him. He grinned when he saw me. I smiled back and went to the stove to grab some food.

While we ate, Fang and I were silent, not knowing just what to say. I finished my food and dumped my plate in the sink. No doubt, Esme would insist on cleaning up after us, since she never got a chance to do it.

Edward drove us to school today in the beautiful Aston Martin I had driven to the mall yesterday. I know for a fact that Rosalie had convinced him that one day of showing off wouldn't blow their secret. Besides, it's not like the Cullen's couldn't afford one even without their vampire-ness. Dr. Cullen earned enough yearly to have been able to buy one by now.

When we reached the school, the parking lot and outside of the school were full of students waiting for classes to start. It was like Moses parting the Red Sea the way these kids stepped aside for our car. I didn't blame them.

"Ready?" Alice asked, excited. Edward rolled his eyes, not liking the idea of our attention seeking too much. I'm sure he was also anxious to meet Bella before class. He hadn't been able to drive her since Charlie would hover over the car.

"Yeah," I said, opening the door. Fang got out the other side and we linked arms, walking behind Alice and Edward towards the school.

Even though we were not nearly as graceful as the vampires before us were, I knew we looked good as we glided out of the parking lot and onto school grounds. Girls gaped and guys stared as we walked by. Alice and Rosalie had forced Edward to join in the game by looking extra good today. We all looked good enough for a runway show. Edward had even tipped Bella off this morning and filled her in. She was only too happy to play along. She had scrounged up some outfits Alice had bought for her last year that she hadn't worn yet. I'm sure she'd look great when we saw her.

Passing by Lauren and her friends was a bit of a challenge for me. The two Cullens intimidated Lauren but when she saw Fang, she smiled seductively. That is, until she saw me on his arm. Then she frowned and pouted. I smiled sweetly at her, but she saw right through it and scowled back. I still wanted to tear her head off. And I wasn't quite past that either. She had better watch her step around me…

"Ah, we are so great," Alice said, her tinkling laugh resonating in the halls. I laughed with her and was joined by Bella's laugh, then Edward and Fang's chuckles.

The next few months went by smoothly. Fang and I were happy with each other. Bella and Edward stayed strong. I don't even have to mention the other vampires. Jacob and Sam were told about my dilemma with wolves, and the flock grew to trust and like the werewolves. Lauren learned to stay away from me for her own health. It only took a semester and a half, plus a few threats and a bump or two in the halls to get the message across. We made friends and the flock was happy and content with our new life.

At least we were until Jeb called one day.

They wanted me back.

The End

**A/N: Sequel to this story is called Moving on From the Old to the New. Read it and find out what happens to the flock next :) I appreciate the help people, thanks!!**


	12. AN Thanks Guys! :

**A/N:**

**So, i've read through some of the reviews and comments i've gotten for the story. I've made a decision, but i want your thoughts anyways, especially about my decision. i want to make sure it's the right decision to make.**

**You can thank ukrainianelfhorse and Queen of Vampires for their wonderful idea!! i've decided to make a sequel... What do you think? I think it would be a good idea to leave chapter 11, or 12, or whatever the last chapter is, as it is and just make a new story completely! For those of you that wanted Fax, there it is. For those that wanted Jax, i won't give away anything, but i'd keep reading if i were you ;) I wanted both, but in my story as it was, i just couldn't seem to make both fit without completely upsetting the previous chapters and making the story go to fast.**

**So, there it is. That's my decision, i hope you like it, but if not, review or comment or whatever and tell me why not. Tell me why you'd like to have a sequel as well. I appreciate everything you guys as readers have done to help me get through this story, so thanks guys!!! Tune in for the next story! **

**p.s. if anyone can think of a name for a sequel or for the last chapter of the first story (i hate leaving it as 'The End') that would be great!!**

**Thanks guys!**

** *Alex-- aberk19***


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